A Vow To Protect
by Eryis
Summary: Laxus Dreyar, prince of Fiore, has been trapped in the town of Magnolia for months by order of his grandfather. After a failed attempt at leaving ends up with the prince injured, his grandfather punishes him by adding a new guard to his retainer team. An arrogant, up-tighy, overly confident, handsome bastard named Freed Justine.
1. Chapter 1 - Meeting

**_This was originally written as a one shot for Fraxus day, but it got a little out of hand so here we are. It's inspired by the Fire Emblem games, but I don't know enough about the games to really call it an official AU, so I thought it best to just call it a fantasy _**_**AU. But if you know the series, you might catch some references.**_

_**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**_

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**A Vow To Protect**

_**Chapter One: Meeting**_

"This is bullshit."

Laxus' words were practically spat out. The prince was sitting atop his bed, bandages wrapped around his otherwise bare torso, essentially pouting as he was forced to maintain direct eye contact with one of his retainers; Bickslow. He was vaguely aware that, leaning against the wall of his chambers, Evergreen was watching both men with an expression that would probably be equal parts patronising and amused. It made Laxus' annoyance at the situation worse.

He had been forced to chambers by his grandfather – and king – while the older man 'decided what to do with him.' Bickslow and Evergreen had been allowed to keep him company, and Bickslow had decided he would try to heal Laxus' injuries while they had nothing better to do. Hence why the two men were holding such intense eye contact.

Apparently Bickslow's magic worked better that way. Laxus didn't understand why, and Bickslow only explained by saying the eyes were the windows to the soul.

His injuries came from his own stupidity; he was mature enough to admit that. For the past few months, he hadn't been allowed out of the town that his castle looked over, and he had been getting somewhat stir crazy. Multiple times he had found himself in his grandfather's office, asking for permission to leave the bounds of Magnolia to do something – anything – in a place where it wasn't immediately obvious that he was royalty. Each time – even when the requests were rational such as when he wanted to camp for a weekend in a forest a half-hour's walk away from the city boarders – he was turned down under the excuse that it was best for his safety if he stayed. Every time, Laxus had felt his anger grow until he eventually snapped.

So he… ran away.

He resented the term his grandfather used, but it was basically true. He had convinced his retainers that it would be best for them all to get away, and intended to travel to the nearest city, have a small vacation there, and then return. It would have taken two weeks at the most and would have done the blonde a world of good. His plan had not gone as well as he had hoped.

Two things had gone wrong, as far as Laxus knew. One; the night guard who he had bribed for his silence had a change of heart and had gone to Makarov to explain what Laxus was doing. Two; there had been a very minor attempt at kidnapping him.

It wasn't as bad as everyone was making it out to be, really. Yes, someone had tried to kidnap the prince of Fiore on his first outing in months. Yes, at one point he had a sword to his throat that could have killed him. Yes, the three of them had been taken unaware and the fight had not been as easy as it should have been. But it wasn't as if Laxus had been taken; Evergreen's magic made quick work of most of the kidnappers and Laxus and Bickslow were by no means weak and vulnerable. Even the injures Laxus had gained had actually come from his horse being spooked and bucking him off, rather than the kidnappers themselves.

Annoyingly, the guards looking for Laxus appeared at the same time the kidnappers were forced to retreat. And they didn't believe Laxus' story about where his injuries came from, or about how long he planned to be away.

So now, he was essentially fucking grounded.

"Oh, that's what you think," Evergreen said, incredibly sarcastically. "I thought you loved everything about this situation and wanted it to go on forever. Oh you're so hard to read, Laxus. Thank you for the clarification."

"I can kill you Ever," Laxus grunted. "I'm a prince, I can have you beheaded."

"Firstly, no you can't. That hasn't been allowed for centuries," Ever laughed. "And secondly, if you killed me, the only friend you'd have in the world is Bickslow. Imagine that. Just Bickslow. _Bickslow_."

Laxus chuckled a little, seeing Bickslow's eye twitch as he continued focusing on healing the prince. He couldn't be sure, but Laxus could just see Bickslow raise an arm towards Evergreen's direction and the blonde expected that a certain finger would be raised towards her. He was glad that he had the two of them with him, or he would be both bored out of his mind and stewing in his anger. Also he was fairly sure that fucking horse had broken a rib when it kicked him off, and that would have hurt a lot more without Bickslow's healing.

God, what would happen if they lost their position for helping him. Well, he just wouldn't let that happen.

"You got any idea what they're gonna do?" Evergreen asked, and she was looking at Laxus so obviously was addressing him.

"Who fucking knows," Laxus sighed, wanting to run a hand through his hair but stopping himself so the healing could be continued. "Guards at the doors to my chambers, not even allowed out of the castle, let alone Magnolia. Which is gonna fucking kill me because I can't deal with staying inside this fucking town let alone this stupid fucking old-"

"And we're done!" Bickslow chimed, and Laxus cut himself off by the sudden chill that overtook him at the absence of Bickslow's magic.

"Doesn't feel fucking done," Laxus grunted, looking at the scabs and cuts on his arms he knew Bickslow could have healed.

"Well, maybe if you weren't being such a grumpy bitch then I'd make all your injuries go away. But you are, so suck it up," The healer grinned wide and manically, looking towards Evergreen. "And if I remember correctly, I was your only friend for quite a long time, and look how you turned up," He paused, looking Evergreen up and down. "Actually, she's right. If you turn out like that then you're screwed."

"Asshole," Ever snapped, but Laxus saw her smiling a little.

A small but playful argument occurred between the two retainers, and it allowed Laxus some time to think to himself. He should have known that this would happen in some way, it wasn't as if he would return home from his two weeks away to cheers and forgiveness and a parade to honour his successful attempt at running away. It would always end up in this situation, although being confined to his bedroom wouldn't have been as bad if he hadnt seen the aforementioned room for a week as he had intended.

He continued to spiral into a mess of anger – aimed at both himself and the situation he found himself in – for a little while as Evergreen and Bickslow continued to argue with each other; he wasn't listening so couldn't tell what exactly they were picking at anymore.

The situation was broken when the two large doors to Laxus' chambers were pushed open, slamming against the walls they were attached to. He saw Gildarts, one of Makarov's most trusted knights and retainer, swagger through the doors that he had opened with far too much gusto. Normally, Laxus would have gotten pissed at someone storming into his room without permission, but Gildarts was almost definitely acting on the king's orders and, as the king was kind of pissed off at Laxus, he didn't want to make it worse.

"Your gramps wants to see ya, kid," Gildarts grinned, apparently knowing Laxus wasn't gonna risk biting back on his slight taunt. "You really pissed him off, y'know."

Laxus stood, walking to the door. He spared him a glance as he muttered. "Thanks."

The two men walked through the large, lavish halls of Magnolia Castle in silence, with Laxus walking a few steps in front of Gildarts. He made sure his face was devoid of any emotion, partly because he was trained to hide his feelings from his youth, and also because if he got control of himself now, he was less likely to explode when face to face with his grandfather.

When they reached the king's office, Gildarts stood to the side of the door, assumedly so he could stand guard. Taking in a breath, Laxus pushed open the doors and walked into Makarov's office.

His grandfather was sitting behind his large wooden desk, which had stacks of paper on one side and a large lamp on the other. The king looked up at the entrance of his grandson, removed the glasses he was wearing and looked at the blonde with an expression that screamed 'disappointed but not angry.' Laxus bristled a bit at this, because he knew his grandfather was just as volatile as he was and he was pissed, not just disappointed. This was the façade he wore when he was acting as a king rather than himself.

So he was dealing with King Makarov and not his grandfather. Great.

As he walked further into the room, he saw that there was another man standing to the side. He was facing the king, so Laxus couldn't see his face, but he had long green hair and was wearing typical swordsman's armour: predominant black fabric with silver lining, and small plates of armour over vulnerable parts of his body but not enough to limit his movement. He also had a red cloak over his shoulder, which connoted a high rank. Laxus didn't recognise him, though.

"Take a seat, Laxus," Makarov stated, voice somewhat tired. It grated on the blonde's nerves.

"I'd rather stand," He grumbled a little, wanting to have a small amount of power in the conversation.

"If you must," Makarov leant forward. "As I'm sure you've realised, I am not happy with your behaviour over the last few days. Not only did you willingly go against my orders for you to stay in the city, which I did to keep you safe," Laxus rolled his eyes at that. "But you also took your retainers, and therefore put them both in danger with you."

"I wasn't in danger," Laxus muttered.

"You were nearly kidnapped Laxus, that's essentially the definition of being in danger," Makarov snapped, and now there was no doubt that Makarov was angry at him, not just disappointed. "You were reckless, you were childish, and you put your retainers in danger just because you can't handle a small amount of control being taken away from you."

"Small?" Laxus gritted his teeth. "I haven't left this fucking town in months."

"People in that 'fucking town' are going through a lot worse than that, and they don't throw tantrums over it. Get over yourself," Makarov snapped, his kingly façade slipping. "Clearly, what you've done isn't acceptable and it can't happen again. After looking at the problem from a few angles, I believe that the best way to stop this is-"

"You're gonna keep me in the castle," Laxus snapped. "Or in my chambers or tie me to my fucking bed or whatever. Stop fucking around and tell me."

"Don't interrupt me, brat," Makarov snapped again. "As I was saying, that the best way to stop this from happening again is to admit that, perhaps, I misjudged the effects of keeping you in magnolia. I didn't expect it to mess with your head as much as it did, and I clearly didn't expect you to do something so reckless as to run away-"

"I wasn't trying to run away!" Laxus yelled his protest.

"Clearly your freedom is more important to you than I expected," Makarov continued as if he hadnt heard Laxus' claim. "So, I'm going to work on a way to allow more freedom while keeping you safe from potential attack."

Laxus quietened at that, not exactly sure how to respond. The idea of Makarov admitting he was wrong wasn't farfetched – he wasn't irrational – but to hear him do so after Laxus had pissed him off was confusing. It was clear that Makarov was still angry at him, and whatever his plan was wasn't going to be as simple as him saying things can go back to the way they used to be. But, with how much he was craving more freedom, he expected any punishment he might have to take would be worth it.

"From what I've been told, you were taken unaware by the kidnappers," Makarov continued. "That, to me, suggests that there is a problem with your retaining team."

"You are not replacing them!" Laxus spoke up, teeth gritting again. "It was my fault they were distracted."

"I don't doubt it," Makarov glared at his grandson. "I know you have a good relationship with Evergreen and Bickslow, and I don't hold it against you. I was the same at your age. But I believe that, given the target you now have on your back, having two retainers – one of whom focuses on healing – is not effective. Hence why Mr Justine is here."

Makarov nodded towards the knight who was still standing in the room, a little behind Laxus. The blonde looked back, to see he had a stoic expression on his somewhat fragile features; the man himself didn't seem fragile, Laxus could tell this from a glance. He looked back to his grandfather.

"Don't recognise him," Laxus stated. This was unusual, he knew of almost everyone working in the castle, even if he didn't speak to most of them.

"Mr Justine here has been working through the rehabilitation program, and is one of the most successful participants," Makarov explained, and Laxus had to fight a roll of his eyes. So he was one of Makarov's little pet projects. "As you can tell from his uniform, he's gained the position of a knight, which he has had for quite some time. He's a good fighter, effective with a sword and has the mind of a tactician. Which is why I believe that he will be effective when he takes control of your retainer team."

"No," Laxus stated, tone not leaving room for argument. "He's a fucking criminal! And you want him to follow me everywhere? Are you fucking kidding me?"

"He is as much a criminal as you are," Makarov spoke calmly, cutting off Laxus before he could speak. "By going against my orders and leaving Magnolia, you technically committed treason. Therefore, you are a criminal."

"Oh fuck off," Laxus growled, knowing Makarov was baiting him for a reaction. "When I was a kid, I slammed the doors too much when you told me not to, was that treasonous too?"

"Technically speaking, yes," Makarov wouldn't break eye contact with Laxus, making the blonde bristle again. "But that is beside the point, Mr Justine is no longer a criminal in my eyes and therefore he is no longer a criminal in any law in this country. I trust him and he has proven himself to be both reliable and effective in his work. As far as I'm concerned, that's all that matters."

"What if I say no," Laxus crossed his arms. "Or what if Bicks or Ever have a problem. They ain't gonna like some random criminal telling them what to do."

"From what I know, Bickslow and Evergreen have already formed something of a friendship with Mr Justine here, so I doubt they'll have any problems with him joining your team," Makarov explained, and Laxus frowned. He didn't know that. "And as for your opinion on it, I won't be taking it into account. Just like you didn't take my orders into account when you ran off because you wanted to stretch your legs. But if you continue to act like a child and fight with me about this, I may take your recommendation to keep you restrained to the castle on board. Thank you for that."

There was a great urge to tell his grandfather to go fuck himself that Laxus found himself fighting, and the only thing stopping him was the fact Makarov was going to follow through on his threat if he was pushed enough.

The blonde turned to the man who was apparently now part of his retainer team and glared at him openly. He didn't know exactly what the man had done to get him arrested and subsequentially put into the rehab program, and he knew that his grandfather wouldn't tell him if he asked. But the fact he was here – and had been taken into the castle's jails; that was the only way people got into the rehab program – meant that it wasn't a small crime. Laxus felt his distrust of the criminal wearing knights armour was justified.

The knight, Mr Justine, looked back at Laxus with an unreadable expression on his face. Neither said anything, and if Laxus wasn't as good at hiding his emotions then he may have squirmed a little under his gaze. The criminal seemed to be assessing him while maintaining eye contact. It was disturbing.

"I expect you to treat him with the same amount of respect you give to your current retainers, Laxus," Makarov commented, standing up and walking to the door of his office. He gave Laxus a pointed glare. "I have to ask you both to leave now, I have work to do."

Mr Justine nodded, bowed and gave the usual goodbye that Makarov was given. Laxus didn't speak to his grandfather as he walked out of the office, and when the door was shut behind them both he looked towards his new retainer with an expression of distrust across his features.

"Gramps said you can look after yourself," Laxus stated, arms crossed. "You agree with that?"

"I'm a better knight that most people here," The man spoke for the first time, voice smooth and confident. "I'm qualified to look after you."

"Prove it. Go to the courtyard and beat me in a fight, hand-to-hand."

There was a moment of silence before the knight spoke again. "No."

"Fucking typical," Laxus muttered. "Why the hell should I trust you as a retainer if you don't have the balls to fight me."

"That isn't the reason I don't wish to fight you," Mr Justine spoke, and Laxus was annoyed that he believed the man. Nobody who spoke that confidentially was scared of a fight. "While you're still recovering, you will have an excuse to why you don't beat me. If the only way to earn your respect is to fight, it will be when neither of us have the luxury of saving face if we lose. So when you've recovered, then I will fight you. Is that acceptable?"

Laxus bit back the urge to use his title as prince against him. The cocky son of a bitch thought he could beat Laxus? And he was confident enough to be acting like that? Bastard. Still, taking away the smugness of his face would be pretty fucking cathartic.

"Fine."

"Very well," Mr Justine turned to walk away, but stopped himself. He looked back to Laxus with the same expression on his face. "I feel I should let you know, for full discretion, that me and your current retainers met and became close when the three of us were part of the king's rehabilitation program, which you seem to not respect."

Laxus' eye twitched. He didn't know that either.

"I can't imagine why they wouldn't mention it to you," The knight continued. "You seem so open to the chance of someone changing who they used to be," His face split into a spiteful, almost cruel looking smile. "Good day, your highness."

He turned on his heel and walked away. Laxus ground his teeth together, felt a rush of anger flow over him, before storming off in the opposite direction.

_Bastard. _


	2. Chapter 2 - Fighting

_**Here's part two. I hope you all enjoy it. Just to let you know, it has a fist fight and some canon typical violence. Blood is mentioned but it's not graphic at all. **_**_Also, I forgot to mention, this should be updated every Sunday and Wednesday throughout december._**

_**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. ****Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**_

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**Chapter Two: Fighting**

Laxus sat unmoving atop a small wooden bench, his face down and gaze held directly on the cobbled pathway below him. He was sitting in the castle's courtyard, on a bench usually used for stable hands when they were taking their breaks, with Evergreen standing in front of him, pacing from side to side. She had been ranting at him for around five minutes now.

Well, that wasn't entirely true. She had been ranting for about a week.

It had begun when, after his first encounter with his new retainer – Freed, Laxus later found his name was – he had returned to his chambers and to Bickslow and Evergreen. He had tried to keep what had happened to himself but, after enough prodding from his friends, he had confessed to exactly what transpired between him and his grandfather, and then him and his new retainer. When he mentioned the fight that was going to occur with Freed, that was when Bickslow did an overdramatic groan and Evergreen begun her rantings about how stupid he was being.

Most of it had turned to a blur, as it was relentless over the week. Laxus did remember some parts, including Evergreen chastising him for being 'that sensitive he needs to punch someone to prove his ego' and calling him 'a total idiot' who should 'call this off immediately.'

Honestly, Laxus didn't care what she thought about it. Maybe she was right, but it wasn't going to change his opinion that this needed to happen.

Because, despite what apparently everyone seemed to have forgotten, Laxus Dreyar was a prince. He was first in line to the throne. He knew that he was never going to live a normal life, and that he didn't have the freedom to do whatever he wanted whenever he wanted. That was why he had tolerated Makarov's Magnolia bound rules for as long as he had, because he knew that his status meant responsibility. But there was absolutely nothing in any charter nor rulebook that said he had to sit by and let some cocky fucking knight – a supposedly reformed criminal no less – treat him like shit for his own entertainment.

So yes, maybe Laxus did insist on this fight because he wanted to stroke his own ego and get a little power back on his side. Maybe it was a way to get a small amount of revenge because the man had pissed him off. But he was a fucking prince! He was allowed that if nothing else.

That was how he got to the courtyard, a week having passed, and his injuries healed.

"Do you know what will happen if your grandfather finds out about this?" Evergreen continued, and Laxus made a noise in reply. "Any chance of you leaving this castle for the next year will go; that's the same for me and Bicks too. If you can't leave, we can't leave. We were getting bored of it too; we don't need it anymore. And I'm not being kept here because you can't resist a dick measuring contest."

"You know you could be saying this to your _friend_," Laxus nearly spat out the word. "He can call it off too."

"We've been trying, but he's just as much a pig-headed moron as you!" Evergreen exclaimed. "And what d'you think Bicks is doing right now?"

At the mention of both Bickslow, Laxus looked across the courtyard to where he and Freed were standing. Freed was wearing the same uniform that he had worn in Makarov's office, though the armour plating his vulnerable body parts as well as his red cloak had been removed; Laxus assumed it was to make their fight fair. That was fine with Laxus; as Freed had said, when neither had an excuse to fall back on it would make victory feel even better. And Laxus would be victorious.

Freed was leaning against a wall, while Bickslow animatedly spoke to him. When Laxus focused on the two, he could hear a small snippet of their conversation. Bickslow was trying to remind Freed that Laxus is a prince and that you don't punch princes in the face. Freed replied calmly that, if Laxus had never been punched before, then it would be fun to see his reaction as to what it felt like.

He was wearing this fucking smirk too. It made Laxus bubble in anger.

"I mean for god's sake Laxus, why do you-"

"Why didn't you say that you and Bickslow were part of the rehabilitation program?" Laxus cut Evergreen off, looking up at her with a small glare. Evergreen wore an expression of shock; Laxus had managed to keep this information to himself up until now. But he was angry, and this needed to be said.

"How do you know about that?" Ever asked after taking a moment to think.

"The bastard told me. To fuck with my head," Laxus shot a glare to Freed for a second. "Why didn't you say, Evergreen?"

"We didn't think it was important," Ever said, voice a little defensive. "Do you think it's important?"

"The fact that my two guards have been lying to me for years? Yeah, I think that's kind of fucking important."

"Oh yeah, remember all those times we just mentioned how we were never criminals. I don't think a day went by when we didn't mention it," Evergreen spat. "You wanna know why we didn't tell you? It's because we saw how you treated everyone else on the program and couldn't be bothered to deal with you doing that with us," Ever looked across the courtyard again. "And when this fight is done and you've got all this ego crap out of your system, you can apologise to us."

Laxus paused for a moment. "Whatever. Tell him I'm ready whenever he is."

Without a reply, Evergreen walked from beside the stable and towards the wall that Freed was leaning against. Laxus watched as she approached, the three of them conversed – Laxus couldn't help but be reminded that they were somehow friends without him even knowing of Freed's existence – and then Freed pushed himself off from the wall and towards the clearing where their fight would take place. Laxus stood up as well, walking to meet Freed in the middle.

It was just the two of them in the centre of the courtyard now, with Ever and Bickslow on the bench Laxus had just left. The two men looked at each other, not exactly staring each other down but neither showing any amount of fear or respect to the other.

"We start on the count of three?" Freed offered in suggestion, voice calm. Annoyingly so.

"Sure," Laxus shrugged, face still a glare. "Three. Two. One."

It might have been a somewhat cheap tactic to start the countdown without warning, but Laxus didn't care. The moment he finished, his fist shot forward, aiming for Freed's jaw. Freed, obviously having quick reflexes, shunted himself to the side to avoid it.

That was fine, Laxus expected his first his to miss, and quickly followed it with a punch delivered directly to the other man's stomach. Freed hunched over slightly but didn't lose his fighting stance.

Adrenaline rushing through him, Laxus tried to land a flurry of attacks. If he could wear the man down while the fight had just begun then even when he started to tire out, assuming the fight lasted that long, he would still have something of an advantage.

Freed was forced to be defensive now, ducking back and dodging hits whenever they flew his way. Laxus say how quickly the man's eyes moved and how he was calculating exactly where he was backing into, and it was obvious that he wasn't going to allow himself to be backed into a corner. That was fine, nowhere in Laxus' plan had he intended to get him against a wall; though he wouldn't lie, it would have been pretty satisfying if that did happen.

However, Freed wasn't as defensive as Laxus expected. After a slight stumble from a further punch that was dodged, Laxus found Freed's foot slam into his shin with vicious strength, and Laxus' balance was worsened because of it.

Just as Laxus tried to regain his footing, a fist came from the side and cracked against his nose.

Laxus had been punched before – most recently as part of the failed kidnapping against him – but this was probably the worst he had experienced. Punching was never part of his swordsman training, and only occurred when he was attacked. If someone resulted in punching him while attacking, something had gone wrong for them and they were clearly unprepared. But Freed, evidentially, knew how to properly throw a punch. Because it fucking hurt.

Staggering back slightly, Laxus allowed himself a moment to be dazed. He knew this was a mistake when Freed stepped forward again and slammed the same fist into Laxus' stomach.

Rather than a continuation of an attack, which he expected, Laxus felt nothing. He looked up to see Freed panting slightly, and Laxus guessed that maybe his original punch had affected the retainer more than he first thought. Even though he, too, would have wanted to take a few seconds to recover, Laxus shot forward and barged his shoulder into Freed's chest.

Winded, Freed wasn't able to dodge the attack and took it face on. He let out a grunt of pain that was music to Laxus' ears.

The satisfaction was short-lived, however, as when pushing Freed forward he had pinned him against a nearby oak tree. Freed used this to his advantage, grabbing Laxus' hair and slamming his head into the edge of a knothole that jutted out to the side of him. Freed then pushed Laxus off of him.

Laxus brought a hand to where his head hat hit the tree, thankfully there was no blood. He went to turn around to confront Freed again, but a sharp pain ran down his leg. Freed had kicked him again, apparently on a pressure point.

He couldn't fight it, so Laxus let himself crumple slightly at the attack. He then felt himself being pushed against the tree, a hand on the back of his head forcing him into the bark while another grabbed his arm and restrained it behind him. He was almost certain Freed was pushing his face against the rough tree trunk out so harshly of pettiness.

With nothing else to do, Laxus started to ram his left elbow against Freed as best he could. He hit time after time, though didn't know where on the other man's body he was making contact with. The sixth almost helpless elbow must have had some force behind it, as Freed let out an almost guttural groan, released Laxus from the hold and staggered back a few paced. Laxus silently grinned, hoping maybe he'd hit the bastard's balls; it would be no more than he deserved.

When he turned around, the first thing he did was deliver a sharp shove against Freed's chest to get some distance between them both. He noticed Freed was breathing heavily again, and the blonde's grin got wider.

"Tired?" He taunted. "If you are, might as well leave now. Keeping up with me just walking is more exhausting that this?"

"Perhaps," Freed nodded, voice as haggard as Laxus expected his own to be. "I expect you'll have a lot of experience moving fast. Lots of running away I imagine."

With gritted teeth and a refreshed sense of anger, Laxus sprung forward. He grabbed the collar of Freed's uniform and dragged him forward, slamming his fist into the man's jaw and delighting in the painful sensation that ran from his fist and up his arms. If he felt that sting, he could only imagine what Freed was feeling.

After taking a second to recover, the retainer attempted to land another punch on Laxus' face. The blonde blocked this by raising an arm, forcing Freed's arm back. This allowed the man to slam his knee into Laxus' stomach again, which was starting to churn after the roughness it had endured.

More attempts at punching one another occurred, some successful while others not. Freed also attempted what could be described as more complex moves, such as kicking and aiming for pressure points on the blonde rather than punching as hard as he could, which was Laxus' main tactic. In fairness to himself, even with a less than stellar plan in mind Laxus had fucked Freed's face up pretty bad. The bleeding nose was amazing to see on his smug fucking features.

It seemed to take an age before the relentlessness of the fight wore off, and both men took a moment to catch their breath; though neither let their stance loosen or become any less defensive. As they stood, Laxus caught sight of a young boy who worked for the castle – Romeo – running towards Bickslow and whisper something in his hear.

Freed sprung towards Laxus before he could wonder what had been said.

As they began to fight again, they were sloppier than before, both in their reflexes and in the viciousness of their attacks. Their moves were slower and less aggressive, and Laxus felt his endorphins pushing him less and less. He couldn't focus on this, however, as a fist was flying towards his jaw.

Neither man had any idea how long the fight had been going on for – Laxus had felt time both dragging and rushing forward simultaneously – and they both felt as though they were in something of a bubble. This was broken when, after listening to whatever Romeo had to say to him, Bickslow ran up towards them both, with Evergreen quickly following behind him. The two fighting men only paid attention to their friends when Bickslow pushed his way in between them both and shoved them apart.

"You need to stop, like, right now. His highness just left the office and is looking for you," He said quickly to Laxus. "This fight isn't going anywhere other than both of you ending up in Porlyusica's office in a fuck ton of trouble. So it'll be a hell of a lot easier if you both give in and go back to your chambers. I can make up some bullshit about you being sick to Makarov and wanting to be left alone, and he won't need to know."

Laxus, still in the mood for a fight, thought for a moment, then turned to Freed and sneered. "Just one more punch."

"That all you've got left, _your highness_?" Freed spat his title like a slut, and Laxus tried to take a step towards him before being firmly pushed back by Bickslow.

"You need to stop," Evergreen said with authority. Laxus was shocked to see that she was using that tone on Freed, rather than him. "Seriously, you _need_ to stop this now."

This, apparently, struck some sort of a chord with Freed, and he seemed to lower his aggressive stance somewhat. He turned on his heel – in a way similar to how he had when leaving Laxus in the corridor – and started to walk away. Laxus frowned at this, wondering what had gone over his head in Evergreen's statement, because there was definitely something. Some kind of weight was held in those words that he couldn't understand.

Before Freed left the courtyard completely, he spoke again. It was in a loud voice so obviously meant to be heard, but he didn't look back. "You're a better fighter than I expected. I'm impressed."

Despite himself, Laxus smirked at the compliment.

"And you," Evergreen turned to Laxus after a moment. "If you think your grandfather will let this go, you're wrong. The reason you're being punished is because he thinks you're a brat who takes risks. Right now, he is right. So go back to your chambers, get Bickslow to heal you up as much as he can, and take a few days to recover or all four of us are going to be stuck here for months. And I really cannot deal with that, so go."

Evergreen's words left no room for argument, and Laxus nodded slightly. He didn't exactly want to spend any more time in the castle than needed either.

As he nodded, he felt the adrenaline roll out of him, and came to the conclusion that Ever had been right about his reason for wanting to fight as well. It had just been a matter of ego and now – after getting some pretty satisfying punches on the man – he felt himself calming. He still didn't like Freed, but perhaps he could coexist with him. He would be a necessary evil, if nothing else.

After taking a few moments to fully catch his breath and realising that he was covered in sweat and his hair was sticking to his head, he looked towards Evergreen again. His expression lacked the ego that he had shown when looking at Freed.

"Thanks," He said softly. "And I'm sorry."

"I know you are," Evergreen nodded.

"No, seriously. Both of you," He looked to Bickslow. "It's shitty that you felt like you had to hide something from me, and I shouldn't have pushed you into feeling like that. Whatever happened, it ain't all that there is to you but, I'm glad I know now. Even if I only know because some asshole told me so he could fuck with my head."

"Don't sweat it, Blondie," Bickslow grinned. "So, you open minded enough to try and be friends with Freedy?"

Laxus laughed at that. "Don't think I'm gonna get past tolerating the bastard. But that's all I need to do, tolerate the fucker."

"Suppose so," Bickslow laughed, and Evergreen shot them a glare.

"You two really need to go," She insisted with a hiss. "Now."

Bickslow chuckled and wrapped an arm around Laxus' shoulders, sending a small amount of his healing magic into Laxus' body, though not as much as he would if they were maintaining eye contact. Laxus smiled a little as the warming magic flowed through him and started to knit some of his lesser wounds together.

"You ain't gonna heal him, right?" Laxus asked, slightly joking.

"Afraid I have to. He's part of the team and that means I gotta look after him," Bickslow cackled. "Nice day for me, really. Intimate eye contact with two handsome men all roughed up. It's basically Christmas," Laxus chuckled, and nearly pushed Bickslow off him for his stupid joke. "Good looks aren't the only things you've got in common; you know."

"Yeah? What else?"

"Wow, not denying you that either of you look good huh?" Bickslow grinned. "And what you've got in common is that you're both massive assholes who need to calm the fuck down and stop being so dramatic about pointless shit," Bickslow smirked at Laxus' glare. "Seriously, I bet you'd get along if you stopped this whole alpha dog bullcrap. You might even become friends with him like you did with me and Ever."

"Sure we might," Laxus laughed sarcastically. "He's a smug motherfucker who's disrespectful and treats royalty like shit. Definitely going to become friends with him."

Bickslow didn't say anything, just smiled as he walked the prince back to his chambers.


	3. Chapter 3 - Drinking

**Here's part three. I hope you all enjoy it. Little warning, there's alcohol consuption in this. They're of age, but it's best to be safe with a warning.**

**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. H****ope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**

* * *

**Chapter Three – Drinking**

The sensation of cold beer filling his stomach was amazing, Laxus found. Even if the beer was cheaper than anything he usually drank, and although the tankard he drank from was a dulled metal rather than the crystal glass he was used to, he felt as though this was perhaps the best drink he'd had for months. The reason for this was clear for him; he was drinking in an empty tavern that was hours away from Magnolia's outer walls.

This was part of his grandfather's plans to allow him more freedom. It had been over a month since Makarov had alluded to this, and Laxus had all but given up hope that anything would happen. Then he had been called into his grandfather's office and was told that he would be visiting the town of Era.

Apparently, as future king, Laxus needed to make himself known throughout the kingdom. He wasn't going to argue if it got him out.

Makarov had promised that this would be happening more in the coming months, and he would be visiting all the largest and most important towns and cities in the kingdom for these royal appearances. Laxus couldn't be sure if Makarov actually thought it was important for him to meet the people of Fiore, or if this was just a way to appease Laxus' need to travel, but the blonde didn't care. Getting out of the castle, and Magnolia, was worth it either way. Hopefully, when Makarov saw that nobody was actually trying to kill him, the restrictions would be removed, and he would be granted the same level of freedom that he used to have.

The Inn he was staying in – Cait Shelter – was not in the town he was visiting, but a few miles away. It was a small place and not nearly as luxurious as the castle, but it was homely and comfortable. Makarov had also organised their accommodation and had apparently insisted that nobody else be staying there while he was. It wasn't needed, but Laxus would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy the quiet.

He couldn't exactly say the same thing about the journey there.

It had been him, and his three retainers. The entire carriage ride there had been more tense than Laxus cared for. Bickslow had been chatting almost constantly, sitting beside Laxus and watching the trees roll by. Evergreen was sitting beside Freed, who was piloting their carriage. Usually they would have had someone other than a retainer to do that, but apparently Freed already knew how to do that and having less people in their traveling party greatly increased security. They were Freed's words, and Laxus had his jaw clenched when he said them.

The entire trip here had just felt wrong. Before, carriage rides with his retainers had been a time where he could let loose and have fun with his friends, but not this time. Freed was an intruder. Evergreen and Bickslow didn't seem to think that way as they continued as if nothing was different, but Laxus couldn't. It just felt wrong.

Perhaps that was his fault. He didn't care.

Throughout the month he had known Freed, he had made an effort not to get to know him. There was no reason for him to see him, other than whenever he went into Magnolia. Other than a few misguided attempts and making them friends by Bickslow and Ever, their interactions had been minimal and professional only.

Every time he saw Freed, Laxus felt himself get angry. Not only was he proof that Makarov didn't trust him to look after himself, but he was also just an asshole. That was the only way Laxus could describe him. He was smug, self-interested, rude and fucking intolerable.

He had asked Bickslow why they were friends with him, and the retainer just replied by saying a lot of those terms could be applied to the prince himself. Later that day, Bickslow was mucking out the stables on his own on the prince's orders. What a coincidence.

Even with the smug satisfaction Laxus got from that petty revenge, he was still angry.

It was indescribable as to why Laxus was so affected by Freed. He knew his anger wasn't completely rational, but every time he saw the man it was like a fire exploding inside of him. It reminded Laxus of how he felt whenever his father was mentioned. His opinion of Freed was nowhere near the visceral hatred he held for Ivan – nothing could be, the blonde suspected – but there was just as much passion in regard to what he thought of both men. They both just made him _feel_ so much.

That was why he enjoyed the empty tavern so much. The entire journey he had been stewing on these overly passionate feelings, and he needed a break from it.

And the beer, as previously stated, was fantastic. It was strong enough so that, after having two tankards of it, he was feeling a satisfying buzz flow through him. The bartender was sticking to the backroom, only coming into the tavern hall when Laxus needed a new drink or if the fire was starting to die out. It was relaxing and freeing and a moment of perfection which Laxus felt he was owed, because it had been far too long since he had truly felt like that.

So of course, eventually, it had to end.

He had just finished his third drink when he heard the door opening and looked around to see who it was. An unhindered groan of annoyance filled the room when he saw that it was Freed who had entered it. Fantastic.

Apparently unaffected by the loud sound of disproval at his entrance, Freed walked towards the bar and, when the bartender arrived again, ordered himself a beer. Worse still, for Laxus, was when he turned around and walked towards the same table Laxus was leaning against. He pulled out a chair and sat opposite, and Laxus barely fought off the drunken urge to try and kick his chair out from under him.

"Thought an uptight asshole like you would only drink water from the purest stream of the kingdom," Laxus sneered, voice more slurred than he expected. "Don't want to sully that perfect fucking image you think you have."

That wasn't what he wanted to say, he wanted to ask why the hell Freed thought they were on good enough terms for him to sit at the same table and drink together. Did he not know Laxus was a prince and that the staff usually drank elsewhere? Or that he didn't like him? The sober part of his mind told him that, most likely, Freed was sitting there so their mutual distain wasn't obvious to the tavern staff. They needed to present a unite front at all times, for the best chance of remaining safe.

Fuck, those were Freed's exact words. Bastard.

"I can drink," Freed replied, his eyes scanning Laxus, clearly judging him. "As can you, it seems."

It was incredibly tempting to fall for it because Freed was baiting him into an argument. Laxus knew that, with the amount he had drunk already, he was only slightly slumped over and he wasn't too dishevelled. For all anyone would know, this was his first beer and he wasn't even remotely drunk.

Rather than speaking – as he knew he'd probably say something that a bartender shouldn't hear from a prince's mouth – he glared at his new drinking partner. Freed either didn't notice or wanted to taunt Laxus by not reacting, as he picked up his tankard of beer and started to drink some of it; a few large gulps. Laxus wanted to roll his eyes – the amount he had drunk was almost definitely a way to further disprove Laxus assumption. A metaphorical middle finger to the prince.

"Not bad," Laxus muttered, bringing his own tankard to his lips. It was three quarters full, so he emptied it.

It was a spite thing, Laxus could admit.

Annoying, Freed knew this, as he let out a single chuckle and drained his own drink.

"Would you like another, your highness?" He asked, and Laxus felt his anger burning him inside at the use of his title. The way Freed said it, the slight sneer and tone of arrogance that was in his voice just pissed Laxus on in a way that he couldn't understand.

"Yes. Now," He snapped. If nothing else, Freed was his underling and that gave him the authority to order him around when he wished.

It took a few minutes for Freed to get their next round of drinks, and somehow, they didn't enter into anything of a drinking contest. The last remnants of sobriety were telling the blonde that there was no point – if Freed could drink that much that fast, then the only outcome of trying to drink him under the table would be an inability to remember what happened for the rest of the evening when he next woke up. So even if he did win some kind of contest, he wouldn't remember it. And wiping the smugness off that bastard's face would be something to remember.

Similar to the carriage ride, the drinking session was tense. It had an uneasiness about it and Laxus wished that either Freed left to go to his room, or one of the other retainers came back to act as a buffer between them. But, as that wish went unnoticed, the two men drank in silence.

It was when he was halfway through his fifth beer that Laxus considered himself to be drunk. He hadn't intended for that to happen, but he couldn't change anything now. And, under his grandfather's instructions, he never actually got drunk when he was in Magnolia, so it had been a while and he felt he earned it. Besides, it wasn't as if he was an aggressive drunk or did anything that would get him into trouble, he just felt all his stresses go away.

One such stress that left him was the good sense to think before he spoke. At the start of his sixth drink, he slammed the tankard down and glared at Freed.

"What the fuck is your problem?" He demanded, and Freed looked almost alarmed for the first time.

Freed himself wasn't sober, and Laxus got a small sense of pleasure from the fact he had drunk more than the retainer, but they seemed equally intoxicated. The knight's hair was ruffled and his clothes not as neatly pressed as they should be. He couldn't handle his booze as well as Laxus could.

"You know I'm a prince right. Fucking royalty," Laxus continued. "I'm your better, get that through your fucking skull."

Pulling rank on people wasn't something he normally did, other than with his friends and he only did that in jest, so this almost shocked Laxus himself. But he had a damn point, because a prince deserved a baseline amount of respect and Freed had given him almost the exact opposite of that and Laxus was pissed off at him.

"That's exactly why I dislike you," Freed said, apparently having drunk enough to get loose lipped also. "You're a spoiled little trophy in your family's cabinet."

Laxus tensed at that, but a mean grin split its way across his face. If Freed was willing to make low blows like that, then there was nothing stopping Laxus from doing the same thing, and that was more than fine with the blonde.

"So you're fucking jealous?" Laxus barked out a laugh. "Fuck, if you told me sooner, I could have been pissing you off a whole lot more than I already have. You're one of those assholes that just resent my family. We've got a name for them. Whiny, jealous little dickholes."

"I'm not jealous of you," Freed said, and his tone said he believed his words. "And I don't hate your family. Just you."

"And you got stuck with me. Looking after me. _Serving_ me," Laxus laughed at his own analysis of the situation. "Holy shit that's good. All this time you've been working for me, you've probably been stewing and raging about how much you hate me. That's great."

"I can assure you that's untrue," Freed replied, eyes dark. "Looking after a man like you, who's only reaction to anything is to shout at the world like a damn toddler, I haven't had the time to think about anything else other than keeping you on a leash. Which you might know if you worked a damn day in your life."

Laxus jaw clenched. "You don't think I work? You don't think what I do is fucking work?"

"In two days' time an entire town is putting on a party to celebrate you visiting them. That is probably the most effort you've put into anything for years," Freed all but growled, and Laxus stopped.

This had been the first time Freed had raised his voice and had shown any side of himself other than the cocky, in-control persona that he seemed to wear, and it sent a shiver down Laxus' back for some reason. He didn't know why that happened, as his head was a mess of anger and adrenaline and alcohol and confusing, contradictory feelings. He could only ignore what overtook him for a split second and instead grit his teeth further.

"You don't understand what work is, Dreyar," Freed finished, his face dark.

"I don't understand what work is, huh?" Laxus crossed his arms, smirking again. "That's rich, coming from the fucking criminal. Y'know, I got curious and found out what you did to get locked up. Stealing art from the castle? You've got balls, but no fucking integrity. So don't get all fucking holy than thou on me about working if you just take anything you want."

That seemed to have struck a nerve with Freed, and Laxus revelled in his expression.

"I attempted to steal nothing you would have missed," He said after a moment, his voice almost deadly calm. "And I put more work into getting those paintings than anyone in your family ever has."

Laxus went to open his mouth again, but Freed stood, his face a stormy expression. The retainer practically spat out a goodnight, and Laxus bristled again at the viciousness with which Freed said 'your highness' again. So apparently mentioning the fact Freed was a thief affected him more than Laxus expected. If Freed was willing to leave their argument after it was mentioned then it must be a sore spot.

Perhaps if he was sober, he might have let Freed leave without another world. Hell, he might have felt some kind of guilt for going after something like that. But right now, he was filled with adrenaline and the idea of ending this fight wasn't good enough. Wasn't satisfying enough.

It took him a few moments to decide that this fight wasn't over, and he had more left to say. He stood up, perhaps knocking over the chair as he did so, and stormed through the doors that Freed had just walked through. He walked up the staircase to the landing hall where he saw a door swinging shut – he knew that it was Freed's door. He strode over to it and banged his fist on it multiple times. It opened after his third slam.

Freed's face was an expression of anger, rather than sadness, which Laxus' drunken mind took as an invitation to continue his tirade.

"We ain't fucking done, Justine," Laxus snarled, and Freed stepped out of his room in retort. "You don't get to fucking disrespect me for a whole damn month and then run away when I start throwing shit back at you. That ain't happening!"

"I wasn't running away. I was giving you an out," Freed growled, taking another step forward. "Before one of us did something regrettable."

"Oh I don't think I'm going to fucking regret this," Laxus sneered again, leaning down slightly just to emphasize his slight height advantage. "You're a stuck-up dick, who yells about how hard he works but got caught in the fucking act of stealing. So you're not only a fucking hypocrite, but a shitty one at that."

A pause.

"Very well," Freed said after a moment. "But I'd rather be a 'shitty hypocrite' than a spoiled little daddy's boy whose daddy's on the run for treason."

Ivan. Perhaps the one thing that truly got under Laxus' skin.

Laxus felt true rage flow through him, perhaps something that hadn't happened since he last saw his father. A man who he hated. A man who had fucked him over constantly and had yet to face any real consequences. A man who, now, was being thrown back in his face by Freed Fucking Justine.

How dare he!

The two men were silent for a moment, standing chest to chest with palpable animosity between them. They were staring at each other, muscles tense and forms rigid. Both had seemingly passed the point of no return and neither was willing to back down at this point. It was a clear stare down between them both and neither wanted to give in. this was something that had to happen – something that was always going to happen with the two of them.

His anger fuelling him and the alcohol stopping him from seeing sense, Laxus took a step forward. Their chests were pushed against each other, faces of anger and hatred mere inches away from touching. Freed didn't back down, just held his eye contact without any sign of waving.

Laxus acted before he could stop himself. He brought his hands up and grabbed a handful of the man's green hair; roughly pushed the man against the wall of the narrow hallways; and, without mercy, slammed their lips together in a vicious, relentless kiss.

Freed kissed back.


	4. Chapter 4 - Fucking

**_Here's part three. I hope you all enjoy it. Warning, this has very NSFW content in it. And take note that it's between two drunk men who were arguing, and are undergoing a power struggle, so it's not the most healthy sex. If you want to skip it then not much plot happens, there's a summary at the bottom of the chapter._**

**_As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^_**

* * *

**Chapter Four – Fucking**

Laxus pushed Freed's back against the walls of the hallway, his hands knotting themselves into the long hair's belonging to his retainer. He was rough with his actions, unforgiving and putting as much power as he could into it, leaning down against the other man and flushing his strong body against his guard's, purposefully trapping him against the wall.

Not like that stopped Freed from returning every domineering kiss right back to Laxus with the same amount of power and frustration behind it. Just because Laxus had initiated the kiss, it didn't mean Freed would relinquish any amount of control.

That was fine. This could be a continuation of their fight.

After they broke for a short breath, Laxus took advantage of Freed's tilted head and dove his lips onto the other man's neck. He began to attack his retainer's pale skin with sucking and biting and whatever else he could think of that would cause a hideous mark when he was done; fully intending to make it as obvious as possible, knowing Freed would be forced to hide it when they were done.

Although he was focused on his task, Laxus could feel that one of Freed's cold hands had slid up under his shirt and was kneading and pushing against his stomach. Laxus hissed at the sudden coldness that was running over his warmed torso, and he could swear he heard the fucker chuckle at it.

That wasn't acceptable.

Satisfied that Freed would have a hellish time trying to hide the hickey, Laxus pulled his lips away from his neck and began kissing him again. He pushed himself further against Freed, his thighs either side of Freed's waist so that their crotches were pushed tight against one another, and smirked as he felt the man go rigid under his actions.

Spurred on by this reaction, Laxus slowly began gyrating his hips as to thrust against Freed. It was a subtle and slow motion, intent on teasing him. It must have been working, because even Laxus felt his cock rising to a half hard state.

With one particularly slow and brutal thrust into the other man, Laxus heard the quietest groan of pleasure; he couldn't be sure if it was his own of Freed's. It was entirely possible that it was his own as he was too distracted by the friction in his pants and the relentless kneading and scratching that Freed was tormenting his left pectoral with. Even when he was pushed against a wall and trapped by a man larger than he was, it seemed that Freed wasn't going to lie down and take it. Laxus smirked at the realisation, it was more fun this way.

Needing to outdo the other man, Laxus pulled back a fraction, just enough for his own hand to slide down the other man's form. He felt strong muscle ripping under the thin fabric of Freed's everyday clothes and took a moment to appreciate the man's build. He was stronger than Laxus had expected, a definite plus.

But the man's abs – which were apparently rigid cut, if the sensation under Laxus' wandering hand was correct – weren't his target. His hands kept sliding down until his hand was over Freed's crotch; he was starting to get hard too. Good.

That was only going to get worse for the retainer.

Laxus put as much strength as he could into groping and grinding his fist against Freed's cock and balls. He was rough, and sadistically methodical. He would pump and tug at the man's dick until he was on the edge of pleasure, then grab his balls and squeeze them sharply to make it all fall away for the retainer. The grunts and hisses were music to Laxus' ears.

Whether it was due to enjoyment at what Laxus was doing, or as a way to get power back, Freed didn't just sit back. He tore open Laxus' shirt in a single tug, and the prince couldn't be sure if all the buttons were still attached to it. That was the last thing on his mind though.

Now with his shirt open and part of his chest exposed to the cold hallway of the inn, Laxus couldn't help but hiss at the sensation as he pulled away from the kiss. Freed took this chance to lean up slightly and press his own lips against Laxus' collar bone, obviously trying to give Laxus a hickey that was equally as unsightly and hard to hide as the one Freed himself would have to deal with. Laxus couldn't find it in himself to care.

Suddenly though, he felt Freed's hands around his crotch. He expected a retaliation of groping, but it never came, and Laxus felt a sense of anger that his dick wasn't getting any fucking attention now. He glanced down to see what the hell Freed was doing, and almost froze.

The fucker was unbuckling his belt. He was stripping him. In the damn hallway.

"Out here?" He whispered harshly, voice somewhat croaky, and a patronising grin split open on his features. "Are you seriously that fucking horny?"

"Far from it," Freed replied, voice also hoarse. His expression was equally as cocky. "I just want to see you come undone when you realise anyone could leave their room and see the great Prince Dreyar getting fucked by his staff."

A lot of things entered Laxus' mind at that point. First; there was no doubt in Laxus' mind that he would be the one fucking Freed in this situation and the smug fucker should know this. Second was the urge to wipe away the cocky expression off the man's face and, indeed, let whatever was happening between them both occur in the middle of the hallway just to disprove what Freed had suggested. Thirdly, and most annoyingly, was the realisation that maybe this wasn't a good idea. Royalty wasn't meant to have one-night stands – hence why Laxus' sex life was all but non-excitant – and doing so with an employee was even more misguided. Even if they went into the bedroom, it was still a bad idea

But then, the idea of ploughing into this man, making him moan and squirm and cum while fucking him raw sounded so damn good. To have this cocky bastard under him, as his fuck toy for the night, would be hotter than any hell in existence.

He grabbed Freed by the waistband of his trousers, pulled him close and purred into his ear.

"I am going to fuck you in your own damn bed, Freed Justine, and you're going to fucking thank me for the honour," His voice was calm, did not quiver and left no room for arguments.

"Will I?" Freed showed no sign of being shaken by that. "Well, if you want even a chance of that happening, _your highness_, then I think it's fair to warn you that I am not a man to relinquish power easily."

"Didn't seem that bothered when you were getting my pants off," Laxus retorted.

"You're aware that all I need to do to end this right now is to go through this door and lock it, aren't you?" Freed said plainly. "And given this," He nodded down to Laxus' unashamed erection. "I imagine you won't like that."

"Like you're any better," Laxus growled back, pushing their crotches closer together so he could feel Freed's own hard-on against his.

"Perhaps, but all I need to do in walk into the town and I'll be able to find someone and take them into bed. I imagine a prince doesn't have that freedom," Freed smirked, and Laxus felt rage flow through him. He was right. "So, unless you want to end the night beating yourself off in all your princely glory, you really should start behaving yourself, _your highness_."

It was the alcohol, the blood pumping his dick, and the promise of destroying Freed in bed that made him spit out his next word.

"Fine."

"Good," Freed smirked, face like a devil. "Strip, only to your boxers if you're a coward, but do it quickly."

Now having lost all sense, Laxus found himself complying. He didn't dare look at the smugness of the other man as he shrugged off his shirt and tossed it to the old floor, only focusing on the eventuality that he would be atop Freed doing whatever he pleased. A small amount of pride did enter him when he glanced at Freed, who seemed to be raking his eyes over Laxus' stomach and chest as the blonde kicked off his pants and stood in nothing but his black boxer-briefs.

For a moment, Laxus stopped. He could keep his boxers on, but Freed had said doing so would make him a coward. It was clearly manipulative, but Laxus was not a fucking coward. Besides, his boxers were tight enough that they weren't keeping anything hidden, and if anyone did find them it wasn't as if his boxers would make this situation normal.

With gritted teeth, Laxus removed his boxers and tossed them atop his trousers.

There he stood, Prince Laxus Dreyar, first in line to the throne, naked, in a public place, at the demands of a bastard retainer who he was going to shag.

He wasn't going to cover himself up, as much as every instinct told him to. He expected Freed would treat that the same as keeping his boxers on, and he refused to give the man any more leverage over him. Besides, Laxus knew he had a good-sized cock and it was a thing to behold when standing hard. Soon, Freed would be split apart by it and that thought was enough to make Laxus keep going rather than gather his clothes and cut his losses.

"You done now?" Laxus snarled, glaring at his retainer as the man looked him up and down with the same sadistic grin.

"Nearly," Freed said calmly. "But as delightful a sight as this is, it's not enough to earn my submission. So if you really want this, you'll get on your knees, suck my cock and paint your face with my cum. So, if you want me that much, you know what you need to do."

The urge to punch the guy was large. Incredibly so.

But he was not going to lose this. Freed was pushing his buttons, trying to get him to give in, trying to prove that he was the bigger man. That was not true, and Laxus would definitely prove that the moment he had Freed on a bed at his mercy. This little game Freed was playing would be nothing compared to what Laxus was going to do to the retainer. He was sure of that.

With this promise in mind, the prince got on his knees. With a glare on his face, he ripped apart the man's fly and pulled his cock from his boxers. He didn't look up; the cockiness of the man would be unbearable.

He plunged his mouth on the man's dick with aggression.

This wasn't the first time he had sucked off a man, he'd had male lovers before. And as much as he wanted to restrain from using the few tricks that he had gathered so this could be as un-satisfying as possible for Freed, Laxus also wanted this to end as quickly as possible. So he began deepthroating his retainer, using his teeth sparingly to pull and tease at his foreskin while his tongue prodded at the sensitive slit.

The moan that came from Freed's mouth – undignified, wavering and loud – was music to Laxus.

He began to move his mouth up and down Freed's dick, slow enough to tease him slightly. He dragged the man's balls from his boxers as well and was fondling with more roughness than needed.

Either as a retort to the rough treatment of his balls, or simply out of need, Freed dug his fingers into Laxus' hair and held his head in place. He then began to thrust into Laxus' mouth, erratically and with a small amount of speed. Laxus tried to gain some control back, but Freed's grip on his hair was strong and he couldn't break it. The blonde didn't mind, though, as if this was going to get Freed to cum faster than he welcomed it.

Freed had his eyes shut, head resting on the wall of the hallway, hips bucking deep into Laxus' mouth. He groaned and moaned as his dick was enveloped in the warmness of the royal's mouth, unashamed as he face-fucked the blonde with as much power as he could.

Suddenly, Freed's thrusting slowed considerable, and Laxus knew that he was close.

Using a combination of his tongue and teeth again, Laxus did whatever he could to tease the man and prolong Freed's orgasm, even only slightly. It could have only worked for a few seconds, but Laxus hoped they were hellish torture for the retainer, who was moaning loud and hunched over now.

The dick was ripped from Laxus' mouth, and he only had a moment to close his eyes before Freed reached orgasm. The moan was loud and followed shortly by the feeling of spurts of liquid hitting his face. They kept coming, and Laxus felt a few drops fly through his slightly parted lips and land on his tongue, leaving a sweaty and salty taste. When Freed's orgasm subsided, Laxus felt cum over his closed eyes, his lips, cheeks, and perhaps some of it had gotten in his hair.

He must have looked fucking pathetic. Naked, on his knees and covered in cum.

All the more reason to get rough with Freed.

"This is rather a good look on you, prince," Freed taunted, though his words were a little shaky post-orgasm. "You should consider wearing it more often."

Laxus didn't reply. He had upheld his part of the twisted bargain between them both, and now it was time to reap the rewards. He stood up quickly, dragged a hand over his face to wipe the cum off of it and glared down at Freed with a face of dominance and anger. He had earned the man's submission and was going to make good use of it.

He grabbed Freed's hair with his cum covered hand, making sure the spunk slid down his well-maintained locks, and dragged him into a rough kiss. His other hand balled up Freed's shirt, and he dragged him as close as possible.

While he kissed the other man hungrily, he started to walk them both into the room Freed was staying in. He kicked his discarded clothes into the room with them both and slammed the door behind them. He wordlessly broke the kiss and turned on the door, locking it, and then looked back to Freed. The other man hadn't said anything, perhaps as part of his deal for submission. As the blonde swaggered towards him, Laxus smirked.

Two hands grabbed Freed's dress shirt and tore it open, the sound of buttons clattering off the floor after being ripped from the fabric filling the silence; the shirt now unusable. He tossed it to the side and looked down at Freed's chest. Strong, slightly scarred and well maintained.

He was strong, not bad looking if Laxus was honest. Fucking him would be good.

Laxus next slid the unbuckled belt from off Freed's trousers with a satisfying snap and threw it to the side. He tugged Freed's trousers from his, until he was left in nothing but a pair of tight boxers, which his cock still hanged freely from. As a petty form of revenge for Freed making him strip, Laxus grabbed the boxers and ripped them apart, making them as useless as the buttonless shirt.

With Freed naked in front of him, Laxus grinned. The prince had a bigger cock, and now had this man at his mercy. He was fit, strong, and Laxus had a whole number of things that he wanted to do to a body like that.

But right now, he wanted to shove his dick as deep into the man's ass as possible.

He strode forward and pushed Freed onto the bed. He straddled the man with his large thighs, leaning down and kissing him again. Their hard dicks rubbed against each other, and Laxus' hands roamed around the expanse of muscle that made up Freed's torso. Occasionally he would pinch his skin or slam his hand against Freed in a small slap to remind the retainer who was in charge.

This was who they really were. A prince and his underling.

As much as he would have loved to tease, scratch, bite and toy with Freed for the rest of the night, Laxus' cock demanded attention. Freed had been the one to reach orgasm first, and now it was his turn, and Laxus had no intention of drawing this out.

His hand roamed down, widening Freed's legs and finding his ass. He plunged three fingers inside without care, hearing another greatly undignified moan split apart Freed' normally calm façade. He began to stretch, loving the moaning and whimpering Freed gave while Laxus prepared the man's ass as quickly as possible. They had nothing to ease any pain, nor any protection, and Laxus couldn't find it in himself to care.

He repositioned himself slightly, so that he was kneeling before Freed. He lifted the man's strong legs up and placed them over his shoulders, giving him an unhindered view of Freed's ass. He looked down at the man before him with sadistic glee; this was as undone as Laxus had ever seen him. Naked, hard, vulnerable and breathless.

Finally, the kind of Freed Laxus could enjoy.

His fucking started immediately and was relentless. He was fast and brutal, uncaring for how much Freed would enjoy it. The retainer had gotten his fun in the hallway, this was the time meant for Laxus' pleasure only and he was going to make good use of it.

The warm tightness of Freed's ass was heavenly, and Laxus found his eyes fluttering shut as he rammed in and out of it, though never leaving it completely. When a particularly amazing thrust sent shivers throughout his body, his eyes shot open again and a loud moan filled the room; a mix of both his own and Freed's. He must have hit the right spot.

A dark grin on his face, Laxus made sure to hit it again. And again. And again.

Freed writhed and bucked his hips under him, and Laxus relished seeing this side of the stuck-up bastard. That combined with the amazing feeling of his cock sliding up and down the man's ass as he split it apart was fantastic, and Laxus found himself nearing orgasm quicker than he thought he would. Every urge told him to let loose, and let it happen, but he needed one more thing to bring back his dignity and the power in the situation.

He leant down so their chests were touching, lips inches apart again and Freed's legs flexibility was tested. Laxus' right hand wrapped around Freed's dick, acting as an impromptu cock ring that stopped him from cumming.

"I said," Laxus whispered, eye contact hard with Freed. "That you'd thank me for the honour. You wanna cum, you better do it."

Freed gulped, jaw setting slightly. He seemed to be considering what to do, so Laxus started to slowly buck his hips and apply more pressure around Freed's dick. The retainer moaned, grinding his teeth.

"Thank you," Freed spat out.

"I stripped naked in a fucking hallway for this," Laxus growled. "You wanna cum again, you do fucking better than that."

He punctuated the last word by slamming his dick into Freed's prostate.

"T-thank you," Freed said again, voice slightly shaking. "For the honour of your dick. Thank you, sire."

God Laxus wanted to push him further, but his need to cum overthrew his sadism. He removed his hand form the man's dick and began thrusting into him manically. Both men were moaning, and Laxus watched as Freed's dick erupted with cum for the second time, spurting seed over the retainer's stomach, chest, and even face.

The tightness that came with Freed's orgasm sent Laxus over the edge, and he felt himself get rocked by orgasm as he thrusted harder and harder. Cum shot from his dick, filling Freed's ass as Laxus' thrusting slowly came to a stop.

Once his orgasm had ended, Laxus removed himself from Freed, his thick cum spilling out from the man. He got a final look at Freed, satisfied with his work as the retainer caught his breath, covered in sperm. Laxus slid to the side and lay beside Freed as his own exhaustion caught up with him.

They both laid there for a few moments. Naked, uncovered, and panting for breath. Neither spoke, neither made any notion to clean up, and neither made acknowledged the other's presence. As tiredness overtook him and Laxus fell asleep, it was to the realisation that, while incredibly satisfying, what he and Freed had done was a mistake.

A stupid fucking mistake, and it would be hell to fix.

* * *

**Chapter Summary: _The two of them have sex, partially in the hallway where they kiss and partially in Freed's bedroom, and a power struggle is obvious throughout. Once done, they fall asleep in the bed and don't speak about anything_.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Returning

_**Hello. As always with this fic, there's a small warning to go along with the chapter. There's canon typical violence, but there's also an extremely NON-GRAPHIC description of murder, which is later discussed. Again, it's not graphic, but you should be warned about it. What a cheery story this is.**_

_**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. And I've got a Tumblr. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**_

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**Chapter Five – Returning **

The carriage bumped along the grassy pathway, making for a rather uncomfortable ride towards the city of Magnolia. Laxus forced himself to look at the floor of the vehicle, clenching his teeth in an attempt to stop his motion sickness from getting all too bad. He used to have it bad as a kid but, as he'd gotten older, it had lessened. But travelling down a winding road by fairly unstable carriage was bringing back the memories of how bad it could be.

Normally, he would be trying to distract himself by thinking of anything other than his nausea, in a desperate attempt to calm his stomach. The problem with that plan was that the only other thing he could think about made him stomach churn in an entirely different way.

Worse still, that reason was piloting the damn carriage.

Throughout the rest of the royal visit, Freed and Laxus hadn't spoken about what had occurred between them both. Laxus had awoken the next morning an hour before Freed, had dressed himself and returned to his actual room, and both had silently decided that addressing their night together would be pointless. So they hadn't broached the subject, nor had they really spoken to one another throughout the week.

Bickslow and Evergreen showed no sign of knowing. Both Laxus and Freed had been successful in hiding their hickeys, and the other two retainers had been placed in rooms far from Freed's, so they wouldn't have heard them. And it wasn't as if the two men ignoring each other was unusual.

To anyone who was looking, nothing had changed.

But Laxus couldn't feel like that, because something had definitely changed. He couldn't be sure exactly what had happened, but where he previously felt a burning sense of passion and anger towards Freed, now he felt somewhat deflated. It felt as though the desire to be angry at the man had been taken from him, and it honestly felt like a waste of time. Because, as cocky and annoying as Freed had proven himself to be, he wasn't nearly as bad as Laxus had convinced himself. All it had taken was a night of incredibly misguided sex to get the anger out of his system.

Letting his eyes stray from the carriage floor, Laxus looked to Freed's back. He wondered if Freed felt the same sense of deflation that Laxus had. In a way, Laxus hoped he did, because if they both agreed that their animosity was pointless then maybe they could put it behind them.

They needed to get along, Laxus could plainly see that now. For one, Freed was one of his retainer's and that meant a certain level of trust and understanding needed to exists between them both, or Laxus' safety was in danger. But also, Bickslow and Evergreen were friends with the both of them and it wasn't fair to make them deal with – and potential pick sides on – any arguments that might occur between them both.

But Laxus had no idea what Freed was thinking, if he had calmed down in the same way Laxus had, or if their night together had made things worse. And, as the two of them had been avoiding each other, Laxus had no idea how to approach the subject.

It wasn't as if he was known for talking, after all.

He promised himself that he would talk to Freed by the time they got to the castle.

He had also promised himself that he would talk to Freed before they got in the carriage. He had not followed through on that promise.

But this time he would make good on his word, because the longer it took the less likely he was to actually do it. The next time he and Freed were alone – which would probably when they got to the castle – he would talk. He'd say that their arguments and antagonistic relationship weren't doing anything good, and that there was no point in continuing. Maybe they could get over it just like that, or maybe they would need to work on it before that could happen, but it would be something at the very least.

With this in mind, Laxus looked back to the floor of the carriage and tried to settle his stomach. Even so much as looking to the side to see the trees rushing by made him feel sick, so the floor was his only hope of not throwing up.

At times like this, when he was bested by his stomach of all things, Laxus wondered how he would be preserved as king.

This was a topic Laxus thought of often, and it was never good. Perhaps he had some kind of inferiority complex in that regard, and he often tried to stop himself from thinking about it whenever possible. Thankfully, a distraction came, and better yet it was one that settled his stomach. The carriage was slowing down.

"There's people in the forest," Freed spoke quietly, and Laxus looked up to him.

"You think they're a danger?" Ever asked, casually glancing around.

"I've seen disturbances in the shrubbery for a while now. Too long for it to be an animal, so they've been following us," Freed continued, and the cautious tone made Laxus put a hand on his sword. "They're not subtle, so probably a thief's group of some kind rather than any real threat, but best to be careful."

"What d'you want us to do?" Bickslow asked, looking to Freed.

The carriage continued to move slowly as they quickly formed a plan. Evergreen left the carriage and started to stroke the horse, so that when they were attacked she would have free movement rather than having to scrambled out of the carriage. Bickslow had taken over with the reins, charging his magic to support the others when the fight began. Freed had started to walk beside the carriage, purposefully beside Laxus.

It was almost impressive. Having heard the quick discussion, Laxus knew why they had all moved. But he knew that they must have looked like their horses were tiring and this was respite. They looked vulnerable, but they weren't.

"This should be quick," Freed spoke, looking forward but was clearly speaking to Laxus. The first time since their night together. "You can fight with the sword, correct?"

"Yeah," Laxus replied. Freed hadn't asked condescendingly; it was almost weird.

"Good," Freed nodded, still looking forward. "It shouldn't come to it but be ready to use it."

Laxus nodded sharply and focused on looking forward rather than giving away the fact they knew they were going to be attacked. Freed helped this by quietly explaining their fight plan; Laxus had heard it but being able to focus on something else was useful. Evergreen's magic was useful at covering a large area, so she would be keeping them at bay and potentially stopping them. Bickslow would focus on keeping Evergreen healthy and stopping her from running out of magic. Freed would either be engaging in fights with the stronger members, or he would be stopping Laxus from getting injured, depending on how the fight went.

After Freed had explained, there was only silence. They slowly waited to be jumped until eventually, it happened.

They emerged from the woods on both sides of the carriage, yelling and brandishing weapons ranging from swords to axes. There was seven of them, three on one side and four on the other. Laxus glanced to Freed, who didn't seem to be shocked by the number of thieves that had appeared.

It must have only been a fraction of a second, but it felt like an eternity before his retainers started to fight back.

Evergreen slung her fist to the side, magical pellets of energy spawning in the air and flying towards the four thieves on the left. It was a relentless barrage of magical energy, and the ruthlessness of the spell meant that the thieves on that side could only make it half the way across the dirt road. Laxus had never seen Evergreens spell – Fairy Bullets, she had called it – last this long, and only when he looked at Bickslow did he get the answer as to why.

Flowing from the healer's eyes was a miasmic blue fog, streaming into evergreen and giving her a slight aura of the same colour. Laxus had never seen that either but surmised that Bickslow was fuelling Ever's magic while she used it. When had they learned to do that? It must have been with Freed.

At the thought of the man, Laxus looked towards him.

The moment they had been attacked, Freed climbed the carriage and bolted to the other side and was now facing the three thieves on that side. He had his sword out, moving between the three of them with fast brutality and somehow, despite the fact he should be overwhelmed, seemed to be entirely in control of the situation.

Though he knew he should be acting, Laxus found himself somewhat dazed. The only time he had seen Freed fighting was when it was against him, and he hadn't seen the strange mixture of elegance and ferocity in that moment. Right now, it was hard to deny.

But he couldn't focus on it for long, because he was not some bystander who needed saving. Evergreen and Bickslow were managing to keep the four attackers on their side at bay, and Freed could only hold off three men on his own for so long. The prince brandished his sword, jumped off the carriage and approached the fray.

As he fought, Laxus doubted he was as elegant as Freed. He was a trained fighter, yes, but his practical fighting experience was not large, and he felt that he was wrongfooted instantly. Still, even if kicking and shoulder barging while holding a sword wasn't elegant, it didn't make it any less effective. He had managed to keep the weapon wielding men at bay without sustaining an injury himself. Maybe Makarov had been correct that his retainer team needed to think strategically, as this was considerably better than the failed attempt at kidnapping.

He was almost confident.

But as he pushed the man he was fighting with back, he noticed something. He had only been fighting this one man, despite three thieves fighting the two of them. And he was probably the worse fighter when compared to Freed, so it would make sense if he was being ganged up on. Why were they focusing on Freed.

They weren't.

Freed also was only focusing on one man, and Laxus quickly glanced around to see where the third was. When he did, Laxus felt his breath hitch slightly in concern.

The third fighter, who Laxus now identified as the leader, was different to the rest. With long, erratic and blonde hair; a partially exposed chest with a glowing black mark; and a sadistically gleeful grin on his face, Laxus could only focus on one thing. Between his hands was a pulsating ball of yellow and black fire flickering menacingly. He was a magician, and by the looks of him, a fucking insane one too.

Grinning, the blonde shot his hands towards Laxus, and the ball of yellow fire began to fly through the air.

"Shit!"

Laxus' shout was cut off when he was shunted out of the way, the magical projectile hitting who had shoved him rather than Laxus himself. The prince looked to see that it had been Freed who had saved him, and his sleeve was burned clean off and skin a colour skin shouldn't be. His cape had been set alight also, and Freed was working to get it off.

Looking back to the magician, Laxus saw him reading another attack to aim at Freed. The prince lunched forward, dropping his sword and slamming into the man. He punched him in the face, stopping the ball of magic from forming. Laxus then slammed his fist into the man's stomach in an attempt to wind him.

A loud clang od metal rang throughout him.

Looking to its source, Laxus saw the head of an axe less than an inch away from his skull. It was stopped by an unmoving rapier. Freed was holding it, his flaming cape now discarded to the ground where it was slowly burned away. Laxus didn't notice it; he nearly had an axe in his head.

"Step back," Freed shouted firmly, and Laxus did whether Freed was speaking to him or not.

Apparently he was, as the retainer lurched forward towards the magician the moment Laxus wasn't standing in the way. Laxus watched only for a second when Freed began a barrage of attacks with his sword, all being blocked by a flaming fist.

He couldn't admire the fight for any amount of time, as the axe wielding thief was still beside him. Laxus took the chance to slam his fist into the man's stomach, making him bend over. In turn, Laxus slammed his knee into the man's jaw. He grabbed the axe out of the man's hand and threw it to the forest, leaving them both without a weapon. Laxus quickly glanced to see where the third man was; Freed must had knocked him unconscious as he was slumped on the ground, unmoving.

The fist fight that occurred between Laxus and the non-magical thief was harder than Laxus expected. The prince had size and muscle over his opponent, but he was slippery and hard to hit. They were evenly matched, and Laxus found himself panting and trying to keep up.

"You little fucker!" A sudden roar ripped through the forest, and all eyes fell to the magician. He had a large gash in the side of his chest, inevitably from Freed's sword, and was heaving manically. Even from such a small injury, he seemed enraged.

Even Freed had taken a step back when the magicians eyes began to glow.

All around them, the eyes of all thieves began to glow as well, even the unconscious man on the floor. Laxus could only watch as the man who had just been fighting him went rigid in his position, making direct eye contact as the man began to scream. It only lasted for a second before the glowing in his eyes stopped, and revealed blankness. His eyes were just white now, and a moment later he dropped to the floor

This happened to all the thieves but the magician himself. Yellow fog lifted from them all, flowing to the magician who gained an aura similar to Evergreen's, though more intense. Laxus looked towards Bickslow and Evergreen to see if they were okay and saw Bickslow throwing up over the side of the carriage.

Bickslow had always said eyes were the windows to the soul. These people had lost their eyes. They had lost their souls.

Dear god, Laxus had just seen six people die. Right in front of him. For no reason.

"Laxus, get back in the carriage," Freed demanded, but he almost spoke softly. "Right now, Laxus."

The blonde almost didn't move; he had never seen someone die before. Certainly not like this; it was as if the lift had been drained from them completely, and by someone who was on their side no less. Laxus had never expected to have to deal with this, and the only reason he was moving at all was because Evergreen had taken his shoulders and was directing him towards the carriage.

What followed was almost ethereal. Laxus knew – he knew – that something was happening just out of his peripheral vision. He knew that Freed was engaged in a fight with a madman who had just gained large amounts of magic. He knew that Bickslow – who was attuned to souls in a way Laxus had never understood – was vomiting and disgusted by what he had just seen, but he could only focus on Evergreen and her attempts to comfort him. It was as if the carriage was the only thing happening, despite the fact he knew that was not the case.

He didn't know how long this had happened and was only ripped from this false-calm when he heard a scream. A scream that was not Freed's. Not Evergreen's. Not Bickslow's.

Where Laxus looked towards where the fight had been, he saw that the magician had a large wound in the middle of his stomach. He was slumped against a tree, head lolling and blood flowing from his wound. Freed seemed to have wiped down his sword, and had a small black cloud of fog surrounding him, which dissipated the instant Laxus saw it. He didn't focus on that, though, as all he could look at was the bleeding body of the magician. It was now just a corpse.

He and Freed definitely needed to talk.

* * *

"So," Freed spoke calmly. "I expect this wont just be about the events of today."

"No," Laxus replied.

The two men were in Laxus' quarters, sitting either side of a breakfast table. When they had returned to the castle, Freed had first informed the relevant people that there was a group of bandits who had attacked them, and that their bodies needed to be dealt with. The moment that was done, Laxus had approached him, told him that he needed to speak with him and that they should do so in private. Moments later, they were in Laxus' room.

Laxus took a moment to think, so he could get this conversation right. He couldn't help but notice that this was probably the most civil they had been to each other since meeting, and the irony of this happening after a night of ungodly sex and on the same day as Laxus seeing Freed kill someone was not lost.

That was where he should begin. What had happened on their way home.

"But we do need to talk about it," Laxus continued. "You killed him, didn't you?"

"I did," Freed said, and the words came slightly too easy for Laxus' comfort.

"Do you regret it?"

"No," Freed said, and again there was no hesitance. Laxus didn't immediately respond, so Freed kept talking. "The type of magic he used, God Slayer Magic, is illegal. Its seen as an abomination by anyone who uses it, and it's treated with the same severity as necromancy. The fact he used it at all makes him despicable in the eyes of many. Myself included."

Laxus still didn't speak.

"But, even if we ignored that, he killed six people. He made a choice, he weighed the possible wealth he would have gained against the lived of those six people, and decided that the money was more valuable," Freed continued. "So, despite the fact it's not a nice thing to say, he deserved to die in pain, and I won't lose sleep because I caused it to happen."

"Did you," Laxus started, hesitantly. "Did you weigh his life against anything? Like you said he did with the people he killed."

"If I hadn't killed him when I did, he would have likely killed the four of us," Freed spoke, voice patient. "The life of a murderer who justifies using that kind of magic is nothing compared to the lives of three good people."

Three good people? Laxus wondered who had been discounted.

"Have you ever killed anyone before?" Laxus asked, not sure if he wanted the answer.

"I haven't," Freed said, and Laxus was somewhat shocked. "There had been instances where I was prepared to. Once, I had tried to and had been stopped. But this has been the first I haven actually taken a life."

"Are you okay?" Laxus asked, though he didn't know why.

"As I said, with the type of man he was, I won't lose sleep."

A silence occurred between them, and Laxus found himself wanting it to be more uncomfortable than it actually was. The fact of the matter was Freed had killed someone and didn't seem remorseful. But Laxus didn't feel uncomfortable, he didn't feel angry or sad or in any sense of danger. Freed had seen this death from purely a pragmatic viewpoint – the magician was a danger and Freed saved people by killing him – and Laxus felt that line of reasoning to be… fine. It was accurate, and while Laxus felt he should feel something about the fact he was sitting opposite a murderer, he didn't.

His relationship with Freed was complicated, to say the least. Which brought the blonde onto the second thing he spoke about.

"So, guess we should talk about how we fucked a few nights ago," Laxus said, and Freed laughed a little.

"I suppose so," Freed nodded, and again he let Laxus speak first.

"We shouldn't have done that. Definitely in the way we did it," Laxus said, firmly. "We were pissed at each other, drunk, and it was a mistake."

"I agree," Freed said, and Laxus felt a small rush of relief occur. "I expect if it was found out, I would be removed from my position and, given my history, I expect finding work would be difficult. I expect you also would have issues with it being found out. So we both agree that this is something that we don't discuss?"

"Yeah," Laxus nodded, relaxing now. "And, while we're talking, I think we should get over this," He gestures to the both of them. "Thing between us. Where we try and piss each other off for no real reason, 'cause it seems fucking stupid now I think about it."

"It does," Freed sighed. "I should apologise, I certainly didn't help the situation when we first met."

"No. Neither of us are innocent though," Laxus groaned, leaning back.

Again, neither man spoke for a little while. It seemed… almost to easy for them to put aside their differences. Although, before they had slept together they seemed to have taken their grievances out in their yelling match, so perhaps that was why they were both so willing to just get over what had happened.

And, now Laxus thought back, their arguments had been pathetic. Childish and petty and stupid. It was an effort to keep up hating someone and, now with this deflated feeling, there was no reason to force animosity when they had no need to.

"Now we're talking," Laxus continued, looking back to Freed. "What's your problem with the royal family? Like, I get why you wouldn't like me, but Gramps is the reason you ain't in a cell."

"Honestly, even when I said that I didn't mean it," Freed sighed. "I used to hate your family; I'll admit. I thought you were pointless and overly pampered and out of touch with reality. I'm sure you can imagine this worsened when I was taken to jail. But meeting his highness and getting somewhat close to him, it changed my judgement. You weren't people who had money and liked to lord it over everyone, you were just people. I brought it up in our fight because, well, I was pissed off and wanted to hurt you."

That was honest. Laxus appreciated that.

And he couldn't exactly deny the claims that his family were overly pampered, certainly when compared to the people of the kingdom. And Freed hadn't had the easiest of lives if the reports about him were correct, so the contrast between their lives was clear. Laxus could forgive someone being bitter about it.

"If I may ask you something," Freed spoke again, and Laxus looked to him with a small nod. "What actually happened with your father. There's been rumours, but given I'm keeping you safe and he seems a part of why you might be in danger, I'd like to know the truth."

Laxus sighed. But it needed to come out.

"He's never been stable, for as long as I've been alive at least," Laxus explained, looking down slightly. "He got worse as I grew up, and apparently tried to make me like him. My grandfather tried to get him away from me when I was a kid but… this ain't actually relevant. Sorry. So, he always wanted me to be strong. Dangerous and shit. About a year ago, he was really broken and the worst he had been and tried to give him magic of some kind. Some sort of magic crystal."

"The Lacrima?" Freed offered, and Laxus nodded.

"That's it. Apparently they can infuse with the human soul or something. He was going to use it on me somehow, which would have made me as unstable as he was if the castle mage is right, and that was the last straw for Gramps. He kicked him out of the family, removed him from the throne. So now he's on the run, pissed off at pretty much everyone in the family, and wants to kill me because I'm gonna be king and he isn't."

Freed was silent for a moment.

"Shit," He eventually said. "That's… unfortunate."

"Kind of an understatement" Laxus chuckled. "Still, it's been months and I've only nearly been killed twice, that ain't too bad," The blonde joked, and Freed laughed a little.

"It could be worse I suppose. It's not as if these near-death experiences occurred the two times you've left the castle's grounds" Freed smirked, and Laxus found himself laughing as well.

"Aw shit," Laxus chuckled. "Well, that's why 've got you, ain't it? To keep me safe."

"Indeed," Freed smiled, standing up. "I should give you some time alone. You probably need it, I imagine you've been craving some time alone after what has happened," Freed looked down at the prince. "Have a good evening, your highness."

That was the first time Freed had said 'your highness' without it seeming like a slur. Laxus smiled a little at this; it was progress.

"You too, Mr Justine."


	6. Chapter 6 - Gambling

_**Hi again. Not much to warn about in this chapter, nothing worse than you've already read. The second half gets a little bit gory, and there's mentions of murder, but nothing too bad.**_

_**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. ****Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**_

* * *

**Chapter Six – Gambling**

"I'm out," Evergreen sighed, pushing back from the table. "See you fucks tomorrow."

The mage stood up, rolling her shoulders back from having been sitting for hours in a somewhat comfortable chair. She rubbed her eyes and placed her glasses on again, grabbing her coat from Laxus' bed where it had been kept and walked towards the door as both Freed and Laxus said a form of goodbye to her; both more polite than the one she had given them.

Laxus and his team of retainers had been gambling since the early afternoon, and it was approaching the end of the night. Bickslow had been the first to leave – he was too expressive to play poker well and been out within their first hour s– but had remained in the room until dinner, where he ate and then left. Evergreen had lasted a lot longer, but after some bad dealings and some even worse luck, she had been forced to leave the table, meaning that it was only Freed and Laxus left playing against one another. The fact that Evergreen showed no hesitance leaving them alone was telling on how their relationship had improved from when they met.

It had been a month and a half since their truce had begun, and it had been shockingly easy to keep up.

Both men seemed to have taken something of a forgive and forget attitude to the start of their relationship. Either because they genuinely wanted to become friends, or saw it made sense to be civil rather than hostile, they both had entered into something of a friendship. Furthermore, the type of friendship they had was unique for Laxus, and he cherished it.

Because, although they hadn't once argued or shared ill will since their truce, Freed was still more than willing to challenge him, and Laxus enjoyed it. Bickslow and Evergreen had never put up with his shit, and were happy to call him out when needed, but Freed was just different.

Laxus could only explain it by saying that Freed seemed unaware that Laxus was royalty in any sense, other than when it was necessary for his job. He could make jokes at Laxus' expense without nervousness and seemed to enjoy doing so, and Laxus found himself enjoying that sensation more than he should. He always had found the pedestal that royalty put him on to be unwanted, and the fact that Freed seemed willing to simply ignore it, and without having weeks to get used to him, like Bickslow and Ever had, was great.

"So, you ready to lose your money, Dreyar," Freed taunted, leaning on the table slightly.

Dreyar was something of a nickname for Laxus now. It was mainly used when Freed was being cocky – so quite often – and Laxus found that he also liked hearing it. Certainly better than having his title spat at him.

"If you could do that then we'd be finished by now," Laxus smirked back, placing the cards on the table again so that they could be shuffled.

"Perhaps," Freed agreed, faking thoughtfulness. "Or maybe I've been going easy on the three of you so I could spare you the embarrassment of being completely destroyed in front of people."

"I suppose nearly losing four times and only staying in the game out of luck was part of that plan, huh?" Laxus taunted back and watched as Freed's smirk lessened slightly.

"I have you where I want you, Dreyar," Freed said after a moment.

Maybe this was why Laxus enjoyed Freed's company so much now. He was intelligent, quick witted and had a sharp tongue, so the two men could engage in some light hearted verbal sparring whenever they wanted. It was a type of conversation that Laxus hadn't really had in his life – other than with his other retainers, who limited their snark for when he was deserving of it rather than using it casually – and the blonde found himself relishing it.

He felt normal while speaking with Freed, and he hadn't realised just how much he wanted that.

His relationship with Freed had other knock on effects as well, rather than just making Laxus enjoy a new type of friendship. It felt as though a small barrier between him and Evergreen and Bickslow had gone. He'd never felt detached from them before, but now he felt closer. Maybe it was because the secrets of them being part of the reformation program was now known, maybe it was because they saw Freed treating him as if he wasn't a prince and thought they could do the same. Whatever it was, they felt a little closer.

That was why he had suggested this poker night; so that the distance between him and his retainers could lessen. Because they were really the people he was closest to, and he wanted them to be his friends before they were his staff.

"Well, if you're that confident then let's start," Laxus smirked.

The cards were shuffled and dealt between them both, and Laxus didn't have too bad of a hand. He leant back and picked up his glass of wine – not his most favoured drink in the world, but not the worst either – and waited for Freed to make his decision. Over the fast few hours, he'd realised Freed played games like he approached a fight: methodically and with planning. Laxus didn't mind waiting, it gave him chance to relax.

"What did gramps want with you yesterday?" He asked after a moment, looking to Freed.

He had seen his grandfather calling his guard into his office the day before and had been curious about why.

"Nothing much, he just wanted to see what my opinion of you was," Freed said passively, also taking a drink from his wine. "I expect he was checking to see that we aren't still at each other's throats."

If that was the case, Laxus wouldn't blame him.

"What did you tell him?"

"The truth," Freed smirked a little. "That you're an egomaniac thug that yells without provocation and spits at people that you see as lesser beings, therefore most people. Nothing someone like you would be offended by."

"Sure you did," Laxus laughs. "Well I'll be sure to be honest as well. Tell him you're an arrogant motherfucker with a stick so far up his ass you can see it in your throat when you're speaking and who is the living embodiment of mutton dressed as lamb."

Freed shook his head slightly with a laugh, pushing forward a small stack of coins, enough to raise the pot. Laxus was confident enough in his cards that he also matched and raised the pot, leaving it to Freed again.

"He also explained to me a little more about your situation, and why I'm needed to look after you," Freed continued, looking over his cards for a second time; either he was unsure of himself or bluffing. "He told me that your father has been sending you letters threatening your life, something you really should have told me. Don't you agree, Laxus?"

When the blonde looked up, he saw a patient yet annoyed expression on Freed's face. Laxus sighed a little.

"We gonna talk about this now?"

"I don't see why we should prolong it," Freed spoke, and his tone was almost authoritative. "It is my duty to protect you, Laxus. Telling me when your being threatened seems rather important."

Laxus sighed. Freed was treating him as a prince now and didn't seem to want to drop the subject.

"He ain't gonna follow through on them; how could he? He's just a little fucking coward pissed off that he ain't getting what he wants. This is how he gets over it, having a hissy fit over letters," Laxus shrugged. "He's just trying to get under my skin, and I'm not going to let him. You gonna keep playing or not."

"If you wish," Freed shrugged, matching and doubling the pot. Laxus had no idea how good Freed's cards were. "And you basing your safety on your father's character. A man who you have claimed is a lunatic and violent. Are you sure that's wise?"

He really wasn't dropping this.

"Yeah, I also said he's a fucking coward, and doesn't have the guts to go against the kingdom," Laxus leant back with arms crossed. "And even if he did, what's he gonna achieve? He ain't getting in the castle and every time I leave, every second is planned now. The only chance of him finding me is if he schedules a damn appointment. And something tells me he might be found out if he tried to do that."

The security around Laxus had been increased dramatically after his first royal visit. It was hard to argue with why; the two time's he'd left magnolia after Ivan was exiled he had been attacked.

He was still allowed to leave, thank god, but it wasn't alone. His retainers still looked after him, but there was also a caravan of guards behind him as a precaution. His routes were also pre-planned heavily and any time he stayed anywhere the guards were placed at every door. Laxus would rather that not happen, but he couldn't deny there was good reason for it.

"Perhaps. But the very fact he can contact you at all is concerning," Freed continued. "You should have told me, that's all."

"Fine, next time I get a death threat I'll be sure to tell you," Laxus conceded, then grinned. "If you want, I'll send you all the letters asking for me to meet with the daughters of the kingdom to get a romance to start. Trust me, needy lords who wanna get involved with royalty are much more dangerous than my father could hope of being."

"I've no doubt," Freed chuckled.

And with that, they were gambling and drinking again. It was as if the small amount of tenseness had never happened between them both. Laxus smiled as he put forth his counter to Freed's bet, as well as showing his cards after meeting the pot.

The fact that the two of them could simply remove any tension without issue was almost miraculous considering how they had acted when they first met. Laxus was glad they could, though, as he would much rather this than have tension boil up between them both before it exploded in a pretty damn unhealthy way. As much as Laxus wasn't going to back down on conflict, he didn't exactly enjoy it and wouldn't seek it out.

They played for a few hours longer and, despite them being pretty evenly matched, luck was on Laxus' side as he gained a slow but steady lead on his retainer. When Freed's money was running low, Laxus managed to gain a pretty brutal hand that, unless Freed had gotten a Royal Flush, meant he would win. And as much as Laxus was enjoying this game and would see nothing wrong with playing into the early hours in the morning, he was also starting to get tired and wanting to sleep, so he wouldn't be merciful.

Besides, just because they were friends, it didn't mean they were any less competitive. And winning would be sweet.

So he raised the pot until Freed's money was gone, revealed his cards and took great delight in the resigned sigh that Freed didn't bother hiding. He took his winnings on his side of the table and smirked as Freed emptied his glass. He wasn't exactly gracious in his victory, but only because he knew Freed wouldn't have been either.

"You sure taught me a lesson," He drawled sarcastically. "I don't think I can ever afford to play against you again, Freed."

"You're hilarious," Freed deadpanned, though was smiling. "And as much as I'd love to continue watching your comedy routine, I think I should go to bed."

"You sure you don't wanna keep going," Laxus taunted with a smirk. "Maybe you'll get some of your money back. And if it turns out that I am just better than you at this despite all the big talk, and I end up with the clothes off your back, then that's what happens."

"I'm sure you'd love that, Dreyar," Freed said as he stood up. "I assume it eats at you every day that I can say I've had you naked in my bedroom, but you can't say the same about me. I expect your ego can't take it."

Laxus barked out a laugh at that. While it didn't come up often – and nobody else knew about it – their ill-advised hook up wasn't off limits in conversations. It had only been brought up in a mocking way, such as how Freed had just used it to annoy Laxus, and it made it seem like less of a mistake. Because if they could talk about it, even if just to each other, it felt less shameful and less misguided. And Laxus almost didn't regret it.

"My ego can take a lot, Justine," Laxus retorted, grinning. "About as much as your ass could, you could say."

Freed paused for a moment, before smiling slightly. "Touché."

Laxus laughed, wishing Freed a good night as the final retainer left his quarters for the night. Once he was alone, Laxus quickly tided his breakfast table of all the mess that had been made, drew his curtains shut and changed into his night clothing. He climbed into his bed without a word, blew out the candle on his bedside table and fell asleep with a smile on his face. He had been doing that a lot as of late.

Perhaps since he and Freed had called a truce.

He didn't think about that though.

* * *

In the darkness of night, a hooded figure hauled along a large, heavy sack behind him. He threw it to the ground, letting it slump on the cobbled streets, and he slammed his fist against an old door loudly.

He had been traveling throughout the night, the rain had been pelting at him relentlessly and his muscles were aching. The strain on his body hadn't for a moment stopped him from what needed to be done; this was all a mild discomfort when compared to what would happen if he had disappointed his employer. He had a task to be done and, if he failed in doing so, the punishment would be hell in comparison to some aching muscles and a bit of rain water.

After a few seconds, the door was opened, and the hooded figure was allowed in. He hauled the sack over his shoulder with difficulty and entered the building. His stomach was flipping as he did so.

The corridors were made of stone and not wide, so the sack was slamming against them as it swayed form side to side. The hooded man paid no attention to this, only being cautious around the open candles that lit the long corridor, as the bag was made of thatch and would ignite easily. Any bruising was acceptable on what was being carried, but the hooded man expected that any unnecessary burn marks would not be favourable for him. He just wanted to get this done as quickly as possible and be out of this madman's debt the moment he could.

He soon found what his employer called his laboratory. Magical runes painted the walls, and in the centre was a stone platform that was always referred to as an obelisk. The hooded man dumped the sack on the ground and waited for his employer to react.

"You're early," Was heard from the shadows. "I do hope that means all went well with your retrieval."

From the dark area of the room, Ivan Dreyar stepped out. The hooded figure could never describe what he looked like; he was somehow a mix of madness and complete composure. He was just wrong in a way that couldn't be put into words, and he made the hooded figure go rigid straight in obedience.

"Yes, sir," He replied. "The contact remains on your side, and there were no issues in retrieval."

"Good good. It's nice to know some people still respect me there and haven't been twisted by that old fucker," Ivan continued.

He was referring to the castle. The hooded man had been sent there to retrieve a 'package' from someone who had turned on the king and sympathised with Ivan. The hooded man, though not neutral on the issue, found it shocking that Ivan had such a man on the inside of the castle, one that was willing to commit treason for him no less. He had tried not to think about that, instead getting the package and leaving the castle as soon as he could.

He also tried not to think about what the package was. But he knew. It could only be one thing.

"Show me, boy," Ivan continued, and the hooded man moved quickly.

He opened the sack and slid down the content. It was a body. The body of a man with manic blonde hair. The corpse of a god-slayer. The magic that had been keeping the body in-tact was wearing off now that it was out of the castle, and it was very subtly starting to decompose. The hooded man would have gagged at the smell, if he hadn't been tormented by it for the entire walk back.

Ivan tutted slightly. "Put it on the obelisk. Quickly."

The hooded man did as he was told, scooping up the corpse and placing it on stone platform.

He was sick at his own actions, but knew he had to do it. When Ivan was in the royal family, he had gathered a large amount of blackmail on a large amount of people. He was now using that to his advantage, and the hooded figure was one such victim.

Ivan stood in front of the blonde man's body, an expression of disappointment on his face. He inspected the wound on the man's torso and tutted again. The hooded man tried not to move, watching as Ivan carefully paced around the corpse. A pale light started to surround Ivan, and little paper figures began to swarm around him from the shelves and drawers that were scattered around the laboratory, propelled by magic. The hooded figure didn't dare move.

Suddenly, white light erupted, and the paper figures dived into the corpse.

A second later, the corpse awoke with a jagged breath.

"Shit. Fuck. Shit."

"Oh Zancrow," Ivan ignored the living corpse's cussing. "Weren't you a disappointment."

The revived man, Zancrow, looked around in alarm. He seemed to know what was happening and seemed scared of it. Terrified.

"Please don't. Please no."

"Cute," Ivan chuckled. "But I didn't revive you because I want you to be cute. I need something from you, that's all."

Zancrow's begging got worse, but Ivan seemed as though he didn't hear it. The blonde man struggled but couldn't move for whatever reason. He thrashed and fought against his non-existent bonds, but nothing worked. Ivan still paid him no attention, walking to a small shelf and picking up a large blue crystal. Zancrow went rigid at the sight of it.

"It is such a shame I have to do this," Ivan's tone betrayed his words. He wasn't remorseful at all. "But you did let me down. Didn't you?"

He didn't allow Zancrow the time to answer, plunging the crystal into the man's open chest wound. Lights flashed and pulsed throughout the room, and Zancrow screamed in obvious pain as the crystal seemed to drag something out of him. The hooded man could only watch as Zancrow was drained, his flesh receding and almost liquifying within an instant. The light died down suddenly, leaving nothing but a skeleton covered in blood and the fermented remains of Zancrow's flesh.

"It's much harder to retrieve someone's magic when their soul is dead. That was why I needed to revive him," Ivan explained. Still no remorse. "I'd apologise for the screaming, but if this works as I intend it to, you won't have to live with them for too long."

The implication was clear, and the hooded man turned to run before the sentence was done.

It didn't help. His body sealed up and a rush of pain split through him.

All he could sense were the feeling of his soul being removed from his body, the sight of the crystal in Ivan's hand glowing yellow as it had when plunged into Zancrow's chest, and the chilling sensation of Ivan's still remorseless expression now being aimed at him as agony overtook everything.

He thought of nothing else.

And then he died.


	7. Chapter 7 - Partying

_**Hello. Finally a chapter with nothing to warn you about. It's a ****miracle**_**_. If you're interested, the outfit Freed wears in this is based off of Fire Emblem's character: Arvis. That's all I have to say, so have fun._ **

_**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**_

* * *

**Chapter Seven – Partying**

Laxus had never been fond of his throne. It was elitist, it was patronising, and it had a fucking uncomfortable lump in the backrest that dug into his spine whenever he sat on it. Thankfully, there wasn't many situations where he was forced to use it, but each time he did need it he was given a very clear reminder as to why he hated it.

The winter festival was such an event.

The blonde was in the gardens of the castle, on a raised stage with the large walls of his home behind him. His grandfather sat beside him, on a larger throne that had been brought out for the event. Before them was a sea of people, assumedly all having come from Magnolia, who were watching as Makarov gave a speech. It was the old man's usual stuff, saying how glad he was that they could all come, wishing them to have a successful and prosperous new year, and saying that they were welcome to let their hair down and have fun. A cheer went up after he said that.

Makarov had created the winter festival before Laxus had been born. It was a weekend where the grounds to the castle were open, as were some of the unimportant rooms on the lower floors. Venders were allowed to set up market-stalls in the garden, amusements were set up to entertain adults and children alike, and it was meant to be a fun end to the year.

Laxus had always enjoyed it. Even if he was forced to sit on his throne as Makarov opened it.

Eyes drifting from the crowd, Laxus saw that his two of his retainers standing to the side of the stage. It was a formality, Laxus needed protection in the chance someone tried to attack. Two of his grandfather's retainers were also standing by the stage to look after the king.

Looking at Evergreen and Bickslow, it felt a little odd that he didn't see Freed with them. The swordsman had been part of Laxus' guard team for nearing six months, and Laxus had gotten used to him just being there. This was the first time Freed hadn't been around for one of Laxus' royal engagements – if this really could be called that, when his bedroom was two minutes away – and the lack of the man's presence was just odd.

He wasn't there on Makarov's orders. Apparently, as part of the festival's entertainment, the king wanted an exhibition fight between his lead retainer and Laxus'. That was why Gildarts wasn't standing beside the stage either, as both he and Freed would be getting ready for their fight.

Laxus wasn't sure why Makarov suddenly wanted this but didn't care enough to question it.

If he was honest, he was excited to watch. Throughout their time working together, Freed had proven himself to be a vicious and skilful fighter but maintained a sense of elegance while doing so; he was like a performer. To show him purposefully showing off would be a sight to behold, more so when Laxus considered how strong an opponent Gildarts was. Laxus honestly wasn't sure how his retainer would faire against him; a fight between a skilled swordsman and a skills mage was always hard to guess the outcome of. It really could go either way, and Laxus was looking forward to seeing how it unfolded.

Despite the retainer not being present, Laxus had seen him earlier in the morning. He had gone to his retainer's quarters to see him before the weekend got too chaotic, as well as to ask if he was nervous about his fight. Freed had, of course, replied by mockingly asking if Laxus had any faith in him, as if her were offended. The faux cockiness of it made Laxus want to see Gildarts obliterate his retainer, and he told that man as much. Freed had laughed at that.

Laxus liked hearing him laugh.

Laxus liked rather a lot about Freed, if he was honest. After they had put their animosity behind them, the prince had started to get to know his retainer. Perhaps at the start, he enjoyed being around Freed because he rejected all formality, and he saw the man as almost a novelty.

But the more he got to know the man, the more he enjoyed him just because of who he was. He had snark to him but could also be compassionate. He had a strong sense of loyalty for those he cared for but was also very quick to call people on their shit when needed. He was good to look at too, both in his handsome features as well as how he held himself. Proud, unashamed and powerful. Laxus found himself fascinated and enthralled by him in pretty much all that he did.

Laxus wasn't blind, he knew what this meant. He had some kind of feelings for his retainer.

It wasn't a crush; that sounded both childish and not enough for what he felt. It also wasn't love; that didn't come quick to someone like Laxus, he was cautious with his emotions. All he knew was that he held some form of passion for the man, and that it wasn't platonic.

The realisation hadn't been as shocking as it perhaps should have been. It was clear from his initial reaction to meeting the man that, when Freed was involved, Laxus developed opinions in a strong way. Freed was a focus for Laxus' passion, both good and bad, and Laxus suspected that the same might be said about Freed's feelings for him. Whenever that thought came to mind, however, Laxus quickly willed it away.

He had been doing that for around two months now, basically immediately after he realised what his feelings for Freed meant.

His hesitance wasn't because he didn't think there was a change that Freed felt for him in the same way. For months they'd consistently gotten along very well. And while their night together hadn't been good – the pleasure being overthrown by how misguided and unhealthy everything had been – it was undeniable that they had slept together, so there was some kind of sexual interest between them. It was entirely possible that Freed had some form of romantic interest in Laxus, but Laxus still thought it best to keep his feelings to himself.

It was for the best. Royalty and romance weren't a good combination, even without the added complications of Freed also being a man as well as being a member of Laxus' staff.

Being friendly with Freed was great, anyway. So why ruin it?

"Well, you've heard enough from me," Makarov concluded, clasping his hand together. "So please, enjoy yourselves. And I truly wish you all a very happy new year."

Laxus was brought back to reality at his grandfather's words and watched as people applauded before the crowd began to disperse. The prince was forced to wait a little while before he could leave his throne, and he sighed in relief when he could.

"Are you ready, your highness," Bickslow grinned, a slight tease in the way he spoke. He apparently found Laxus' discomfort at the situation amusing.

"Fuck off, Bicks," Was all Laxus said.

His title meant that Laxus couldn't enjoy the festival in exactly the same way everyone else could. He needed to be accompanied by his retainers, which wasn't that bad as they were also his friends. He could go to the stalls in the same way other people could, although sometimes vendors would get stressed serving him, so he would often send either Bickslow or Evergreen in his place. The only thing he was banned from doing was getting involved in the carnival style games; it was apparently undignified for a prince to try and catch a wooden duck from a small, fake canal. Who knew?

For the most part, he didn't mind. The games were almost all aimed at children, and the only one he would have wanted to play was a strength tester. And that was only really so he could gloat about beating it to Freed, who wasn't there, so it would be pointless.

He had been excited to spend the winter festival with Freed. But he'd see him after the fight, probably.

Shaking off that idea, Laxus started to walk towards the market area with his retainers. Bickslow, who seemed to adore the winter festival more than any man Laxus had ever met, began to explain all the stalls that had been set up and which ones they absolutely needed to visit. Evergreen grinned a little at her friends overexcited attitude, and occasionally shared a glance with Laxus at Bickslow's expense. The festival usually went like that, and Laxus found himself enjoying it.

Quite a few fond memories had been made here.

As they walked, they passed the 'arena' where Freed and Gildarts would fight. It was cut off by waist-high wooden walls, and the ground inside had been decorated with a scattering of large crates, clumps of bricks and other things that could be hidden behind, destroyed, and used to make the fight more interesting. Two seating stands were set up, as well as a walled platform that Laxus assumed he and his grandfather would be watching from.

The sight of it made Laxus' stomach churn slightly. Both in excitement and nerves for his retainer. Other than simply standing beside Laxus at events, this would be Freed's first public appearance. A lot of people would be basing their opinions on this.

Again, Laxus pushed Freed to the back of his mind. They continued to walk through the market, allowing Bickslow to guide them to wherever he wanted to take them first. Sometimes people moved out of the way for them, and Laxus gave a polite thank you to them all. It really was the least they could do; and he didn't want to ruin anyone's day by conforming to the stereotype of royalty being made up of rude and uncaring people.

He had done that enough as a teenager.

The first stall they arrived at was selling glass ornaments, of which Bickslow brought three. The next sold woodcarvings, and again Bickslow had brought some. By the third stall, which sold a wide range of jams, marmalades and other preserves, Laxus and Evergreen realised that Bicks had waited until the last minute to buy gifts and was trying to make it up now. Neither cared, Bickslow was the biggest shopper out of the three of them and would be getting the most enjoyment from this part of the weekend, so they let him have his fun.

After a little while, Bickslow decided he was finished shopping and they started to browse through the stalls.

"Are either of you getting hungry?" Evergreen asked as they walked. "I've heard that place is amazing."

She was looking at a stall that advertised itself as a 'Chocolate Waterfall.' Laxus had seen one before; a decorative model cliffside with a stream of chocolate acting as a waterfall. It seemed to flow infinity by the use of two small portal spells. People put sweets and fruit under the spray of chocolate, covering it.

"You've never been to one?" Bickslow said, seemingly offended on the stall's behalf. "How is that possible?"

"Because they only happen at events like this," Laxus deadpanned. "And Evergreen usually likes to focus on her job rather than getting distracted by chocolate."

"Well that's not fun," Bickslow ignored the clear insult. "You want us to get you anything, Laxus?"

"Nah, not really into sweets."

It was true, but Laxus had also been given what was essentially a feast for breakfast. He knew that it was so he was full throughout the day, meaning he wouldn't end up eating at the stalls. It was another way for him to preserve the dignity of the royal family; eating a banana covered in chocolate which would end up covering his face and clothes wasn't princely. It was slightly manipulative, but Laxus knew why it happened and didn't care.

"Of course not," A smooth voice said from behind Laxus, and the blonde grinned. "Even a quarter inch of fat appearing somewhere on his body would send our poor prince spirally into a panic."

Laxus turned to greed his final retainer, intending to point out that Freed was just as insistent that he keep himself fit as Laxus was. When he turned, though, the words seemed to die on his tongue as he looked at Freed.

In a word, the retainer looked breath-taking.

He wasn't wearing his usual uniform. Instead, he was dressed in a black and white overcoat, with gold trimmings decorating it. Laxus couldn't see his shirt, and only caught a glimpse of black trousers as the wind flicked at the bottom of his coat. Around his chest and resting against his neck was something akin to a shirt-collar, that looked similar to his overcoat, and had a long cloak flowing behind him, fading from orange to red. His hair was in a high ponytail, giving an unhindered view of his face, and Laxus couldn't seem to look away.

He looked faultless.

"Wow," He found himself saying. "You look…" Nice. Beautiful. "Different."

"I'm shocked you noticed your highness," Freed chuckled. "Your grandfather organised it for me. Apparneltly this is similar to what my opponent will be wearing. More in keeping with what a royal retainer should wear, he claimed."

If that was going to be his regular uniform from now on, Laxus had absolutely no complaints.

"You sure he ain't trying to mess you up in the fight? The cape might fuck you up, he's sneaky like that" Laxus asked, wanting to stay away from topic of what Freed looked like.

"The amount of trust you have for your grandfather is awe-inspiring, it really is," Freed laughed, and Laxus grinned a little. The retainer looked towards Bickslow and Evergreen. "Feel free to leave, if you'd like. I'm sure I can keep him safe before I'm needed."

Neither needed to be told twice, and they started to walk towards the chocolate waterfall immediately. Laxus fought back the urge to roll his eyes, instead looking to Freed. He would let the 'I can keep him safe' comment go; he could take a little dig at his capabilities if he was going to spend some one-on-one time with Freed. Even now that was something of a rarity.

"You feeling okay for later," He asked, and both men started to walk again.

"I'll be fine," Freed assured him. "I'm not one to shy away from crowds and it's not as if the fight will put me in any danger of death. Admittedly I'd prefer to win, but the only think in repercussion if I lose is my pride being damaged."

"And you've got enough of that to spare," Laxus smirked.

"Indeed," Freed agreed with a small laugh. "Gildarts is a fine fighter, so I doubt I'll get through it without at least a scratch or two, but I expect we'll be evenly matched. You weren't worried about me, were you Laxus?"

"Course I was. Gildarts is gonna kick your ass," Laxus grinned. "And you fall like a fucking leaf. Just a little punch from him and you'll be knocked out."

"And yet when we fought, you could barely touch me. What does that say about you?"

Laxus chuckled, and the two of them continued to walk through the market, going back towards the castle where the crowds were thinning now. Laxus was glad that they were surrounded by less and less people, as he had never been too fond of crowds. He was always on display around people who didn't work in the castle and, as much as he liked the winter festival, it was essentially two days without any break from being around people.

Freed apparently seemed to know this, as rather than milling around the few stalls this close to the castle, he instead led them to the stage that Laxus had previously been seated on. There was a small space behind it, giving them a small amount of privacy.

"We can go inside, if you want," Freed spoke, voice low. "If you feel like you'll be burned out."

"Nah, I'm fine. A break is nice though, thanks," Laxus smiled.

Laxus was leaning against the back of the stage, muscles relaxing. Freed stood opposite him, leaning against the castle wall, and Laxus couldn't help but notice the closeness between them both. He didn't particularly mind, not when Freed was looking like that with a relaxed, calm expression painted across his features. God he looked good.

"You looking forward to the new year?" He asked, as it was the only thing he could think of.

"I am," Freed nodded, looking perhaps contemplative. "It'll be nice to start a year in a place I'm somewhat happy with."

"You weren't happy last year?"

"A year ago I was still locked in a cage," Freed said, and Laxus went to speak. Freed cut him off before he could. "Rightfully so. Though at the time I didn't think that way. Ironically, being in the cells was the best winter I'd had in a few years."

Laxus didn't ask what Freed was alluding to. He knew. Freed had disclosed what his past before the castle was. Homelessness, having to make a choice between eating and having shelter. Having to deal with the loss of his family. What was worse was how pragmatic he had been well telling Laxus; it wasn't an emotional moment; he simply stated a list of facts that had happened to him. It was no different to how someone would explain what they had done on a regular day. It had been almost surreal to the prince.

But he could defiantly understand why a castle cell could be seen as the better of two evils.

Looking at Freed, there was a shadow of sadness across his features. Freed was a private person with his feelings, just like Laxus was, so it was a testament to how close they had become that Freed could be somewhat vulnerable in front of him.

Laxus wanted to take Freed's chin in his hand and comfort him.

He was tempted to actually do it.

"But this will be… it will be quite nice in comparison."

"Well, hopefully it's as good as you want it to be," Laxus said softly. "And, y'know, if there's anything I can do to help it be good, just say so, yeah."

Freed gave a small nod, and Laxus was reminded of the closeness between the two of them. Not out of fear, nor lust, this time. It just would be easy to hold Freed now, barely a movement to scoop him in his arms and kiss him. Perhaps even kiss the slight look of sadness off his face, but of course he couldn't do that.

He hadn't thought this might be a big deal for Freed. The New Year was a large holiday – perhaps the largest celebrated by the kingdom – and it would be the first time Freed had been celebrating it in his new position. His new life.

And Laxus had been occupying himself with relatively unimportant assessments of who the man was to him.

He had been acting selfishly.

Pretty much since they met, actually. He had focused on himself. Not Freed. Not really. And that wasn't fair.

He went to apologise, to say that he sometimes got so caught up in his own head – his own desires – and that he forgot about the struggles of others. He was going to say that he should have been more sympathetic towards Freed, throughout the entire time they had known each other, because the world didn't revolve around Laxus and he shouldn't act like it did. He was going to, but he found that he couldn't.

Because Freed had kissed him.

It was odd. It was different to the last time. That was a hazy mess, the height of their antagonism towards each other. That had been angry and heated and aggressive. This was different.

It was soft, and perhaps tentative. And it was almost instinctive that Laxus should lean into it, to return it, to stand up properly and to carefully wrap his arms around the man's waist. He leant down, tilting his head slightly and moving his chin to deepen it however he could. He felt one of Freed's hand resting on his bicep but paid no attention to it. He allowed his eyes to close as he relaxed into it.

Both an eternity and no time at all had passed. They pulled apart, bodied gently flushed against each other and looking deep into each other's eyes.

All memories of their previous kiss had been dispelled. Laxus had been holding onto them, a small remnant of what a possible relationship between them could be. But that was a stupid mistake caused by alcohol and anger, this was something so much more. So much better, that the previous kiss was nothing in comparison.

Neither spoke. They seemed to be entranced by each other.

Neither dared move, do anything. They were only interrupted by a small crackling sound.

"The exhibition fight between the king and prince's retainers will begin in five minutes," Mirajane's voice was magically propelled throughout the garden. "For all those interested, please begin to make your way to the viewing area."

A moment passed between them before they reacted.

Laxus slowly removed his arms from around Freed's waist, who moved his hand from the prince's arm. They looked at each other, neither knowing how to proceed from what had just happened. Neither wanting to break from what had happened.

"I," Freed spoke, voice soft. "I should probably get ready. I was told that's my cue."

The prince wanted to argue that. He wanted to say that they should ignore the pointless fight he had been forced into. Either to continue what they had been doing, or to at least discuss what it meant. But he knew they couldn't. If a prince and his retainer were lost, guards would be looking everywhere to find them. They couldn't talk about anything serious before they were found, and if someone saw them kissing then who knew what would happen.

"Sure," Laxus nodded, a little flushed and voice having a small shake. "I'll erm, I'll see you later, right?"

"Of course," Freed nodded.

"Right," Laxus smiled a little. "Well, good luck."

"Thank you," Freed smiled. "I'll see you soon."

Laxus didn't know why he waited a little while after Freed left to start walking to the arena. The walk there was hard to describe, he both felt as though he were walking on air and as if something bad was going to happen. It was almost indescribable. He tried to focus on the fact that Freed had kissed him, that it was a good thing, but it might not be. Maybe Freed would think it was a mistake, maybe not. He had no idea. He had no idea what was going on, and almost felt as though his body was taking control while his mind tried and failed to keep up with what had just happened.

Despite not knowing what was going to happen, he found himself smiling slightly. He didn't know why.

He climbed the stairs to the makeshift royal box that had been constructed, taking his seat overlooking the fighting area. He assumed Freed and Gildarts were in a small hut that had been made at the side of the arena. His grandfather was also in the hut, he wanted to be the one who introduced the event, given it was his idea.

The next few minutes passed in a blur, with Laxus going through seemingly every possible outcome of his kiss with Freed. From them starting a relationship to Freed feeling inclined to quit as the retainer as their kiss was inappropriate.

That left a dull concern in the pit of Laxus' stomach.

Makarov left the small hut to the sound of applause again, which of course he lapped up. Laxus watched intently, again trying to distract himself from a feeling he was scared to confront. That was harder when, following the king, both Gildarts and Freed left the hut.

Even form a distance, Freed looked beautiful.

"Thank you all very much for this welcome," Makarov began, his voice being magically propelled like Mirajane's had. "And I can assure you we'll be starting the main even very soon. But if you all don't mind, I want to explain why I've organised this fight. Because it's more than just a fight between some of our strongest soldiers, it's actually something of a way to pass the torch."

Laxus, who had been focusing on his grandfather's words to distract himself, frowned. What did that mean?

"I want to prove to you all that both these men are strong and capable enough to look after this kingdom. You're going to be seeing a lot more of Mr Justine here," He motioned to Freed. "And I want you all to know you'll be in safe hands."

Laxus wanted to groan. His grandfather's vague theatrics weren't appreciated. What the fuck was he building up to?

"Because, my friends, I have some news to tell you," Makarov continued, his voice a little sad. That didn't happen often. "This will be the last time that I attend this festival as your king."

He didn't know why, but Laxus eye's shot to Freed. For comfort, for an explanation, for any form of calmness. Freed was looking back at him, panicked and clearly taken unaware. He didn't know either.

This couldn't be happening. Not now. Not today. Not after what just happened.

"The years I've been your king have been the best of my life," Makarov was still talking. "But nothing can last forever, and as much as I'll deny it to my doctors, I'm getting old. So I hereby announce I will be defecting my throne to my grandson, Prince Laxus Dreyar. He is more than capable of looking after you all. He will take this kingdom to new places, places of prosperity and greatness. I hope you are all as excited as I am for the new chapter in Fiore's history, led by my grandson.

"So please, give respect and applause to your future Knight of the Realm, Freed Justine," He gestured to Freed, before moving his arm towards Laxus. "And your future king, Laxus Dreyar."

What the fuck?

_What the fuck?_


	8. Chapter 8 - Spiralling

**Hello. Back to the warnings. This one has a panic attack in it, so be cautious when reading if this can effect you.**

**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. Hope **** you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**

* * *

**Chapter Eight – Spiralling **

Laxus felt unlike himself.

Not as if he were acting differently or feeling unlike he normally did. He physically felt as though he was separated from himself. From his body. It was like he was witnessing everything that was happening as a memory, from someone else's perspective. But he wasn't – this was happening right now, happening to him – and his mind was swirling with confusion and fear and a hell of a lot of questions.

Why didn't Makarov warn him? Surely he should have.

Why was everyone cheering? They were losing one of the best kings in history.

What if he turned out to be an awful king?

What if he failed?

He could see and hear everything that was going on but couldn't exactly process it. He knew that there was a crowd of faces, cheering and hollering in some cases, all looking towards him. He knew that his grandfather was talking, perhaps trying to calm the crowd, but the words were just a mess of sounds. He could feel hands on his shoulders, one from Evergreen and one from Bickslow, but he hadn't even noticed them coming into the platform.

Somehow, he managed to focus on one thing. He looked over the blur of people and his eyes settled on Freed, who didn't merge with everyone else. He was looking right back at Laxus, and after a moment, he mouthed 'are you okay?' Laxus felt himself shaking his head no.

His body was taking over, it seemed.

Makarov continued to talk – something about keeping up levels of enthusiasm – and began to walk backwards from the middle of the fighting arena. Laxus was still looking directly at Freed, hoping that somehow he had an answer for all the questions going on inside his head. In less than a five-minute period, his world had literally been transformed three times. He realised he had been selfish for months. He and Freed had kissed each other. He was going to be king.

He wasn't ready for this. Nowhere near.

Apparently Makarov was out of the fighting grounds, leaning against the wall. He was staying there by the looks of it. That was good, Laxus couldn't talk to him like this. The crowd were chanting something, too. Words in unison, and it took Freed looking away form Laxus to realise what exactly they were chanting.

A countdown. Freed needed to fight. This wouldn't be a distraction for him, would it. He couldn't get hurt. Gildarts was a strong target but Laxus couldn't deal with something else right now.

"Two. One. Fight!"

The loud exclamation of 'fight' seemed to snap Laxus back into reality. Sound no longer was muffled by his thoughts, and the edges of his sight were no longer hazy. Perhaps it was because the need to support Freed was overpowering his panic, or perhaps it was because the fight was something that he expected to happen, and he could cling to for a sense of normality. Laxus couldn't be sure, and he wasn't sure he cared that much. He needed a distraction, and this was the only one presented to him.

Freed didn't seem distracted, thankfully. He shot forward the moment the fight began. He had his sword unsheathed in a smooth movement, running towards Gildarts as quickly as possible. The other retainer was standing with his arms crossed; cocky fuck.

Laxus knew Freed could win this. The old man should show him some damn respect.

When Freed was closer, Gildarts raised an arm and shot it towards one of the brick piles that had been laid out across the arena. They broke into multiple small squares, as if knives had cut through them and cubed them. The small cubes of brick started to float in the air, rotating slowly and orbiting Gildarts. He still looked cocky, and Laxus felt himself wanting Freed to win more at the expression.

Suddenly, a barrage of the small rocks shot forward, flying towards Freed. Laxus may have taken an intake of breath, he wasn't sure, but if they hit Freed then it would hurt. The prince glared at Gildarts as if it would help Freed. The older man still hadn't taken a step.

But Freed didn't seem distracted at all. He seemed in his element.

His sword moved with fluidity, swinging through the air with such speed that it almost merged into a single trail of silver in the shape of a figure eight. It took Laxus a moment to realise what exactly Freed was doing; he was moving his sword so fast that it was acting as a shield, batting away each cube of brick and sending it flying to the side. He hadn't even slowed his running pace while doing this, and Laxus couldn't help but feel a weird sense of pride at the mans skills.

Hard to believe that they were fighting viciously when they first met. But he was being immature when that had happened.

Would he be immature like that when he was king? That couldn't happen, people's lives could be fucked up.

No; he couldn't think about that. Not now.

Apparently Gildarts had been underestimating Freed, because he took a few steps back. Freed was still running towards him, and Gildarts was forced to send the remaining barrelling towards him. The retainer continued to swing his sword in a blocking formation, forcing Gildarts to take further steps back. Laxus felt a grin form slightly. He could latch onto this. This was something good to focus on. Something without repercussions. Something he couldn't fuck up.

Freed was in close quarters with Gildarts now, definitely close enough to hit him with the sword. Gildarts hadn't expected it either, as he was spending forces of his magic directly towards Freed. It wouldn't hurt him – it read Gildarts' intentions and split that apart – and Laxus realised that he was trying to shatter Freed's sword.

But Freed must have figured that out to, as his movements with his sword were fast and unusual. If he avoided the blasts of magic then Gildarts couldn't do anything to his weapon. The retainer must have researched into how Gildarts' magic worked. Of course he had.

Laxus shouldn't have expected anything less.

Seemingly aware that Freed wasn't allowing his sword to break, Gildarts shot his arm forward and aimed it towards a wooden crate. It split apart a moment later, and large spikes of sharp wood started to float in the same was the bricks had. Freed glanced towards them but didn't give them much attention, instead striking forward.

His sword clearly cut into Gildarts' outstretched arm, and a cut slipped through his bicep. It wasn't deep, barely bleeping really, and not enough for any real pain. Gildarts winces, but shot his wooden spikes towards Freed.

The retainer couldn't block them like he had before, and Laxus growled as Freed was cut in multiple places.

"This is bullshit," He growled. He was angry; he hadn't realised. "Freed's only got a sword, how's that fair."

"He can handle himself," Evergreen assured him.

"Course he can, but it still ain't fair," Laxus gritted his teeth. "Gildarts can do a fuck tonne with his magic. Freed can either cut him or stab him. He ain't gonna stab him, not in front of people, so all he can do it cut Gildarts to pieces. That ain't fair."

There was a moment of silence. Bickslow spoke eventually. "He can deal with it."

Laxus knew that Freed could deal with it. Of course he could deal with it, that was never in fucking doubt. But just because Freed could figure out a way to deal with his disadvantage, it didn't mean it was fair. How was Freed meant to show off – which apparently this was all about – if he was limited to using the least destructive of his tactics. Gildarts wasn't even wearing armour, so Freed had to be even more careful.

The prince leant forward, hands clutching around the wooden bannister that was before him. Freed and Gildarts had moved back form each other, and the onslaught of projectiles had ended. It seemed like they were taking a second to catch their breath.

"Tired, kid?" Gildarts taunted, loudly to the crowd.

Laxus had half a mind to vault the platform and fight alongside Freed.

But Freed was calmer than Laxus. He didn't respond to the clear taunt, instead clutching his sword in his hand and running towards Gildarts again. Laxus watched as his clothes bellowed behind him, his expression collected and serious. He was so fucking elegant and, as he focused on the man who he had just kissed, he felt his emotions swirl again, this time for the better.

Freed was attainable. He had kissed Laxus, and not in anger or spurred on by adrenaline; he had simply done it. That meant that Freed felt for him, at least to a degree. It meant they could get together.

Could they, though?

Laxus didn't know how it worked. Could a prince – or a king – date a man? Could they date at all? Freed was a member of the castle's staff, would that be seen as inappropriate? Would everything about their relationship be seen as inappropriate?

They wouldn't exactly be the most conventional couple if they got together. And as much as Makarov preached for acceptance of all, there would be people who didn't want a gay king. They'd see it as weakness or immoral. Would that effect his potion in the kingdom? It could be used against him. He didn't know if he could deal with people having issued about it – the only people who knew were his family and friends, who were supportive. He'd never had someone make a big thing about it.

But what if he didn't get together with Freed at all?

It was possible. For god's sake, the amount of responsibilities he would have to deal with would be countless. He wouldn't have time for anything, least of all dating. And maybe Freed wouldn't want to be with a king – if Laxus was having all these mad rushes of fear then Freed might be too.

Could he deal with that? Living with Freed being so close – with a romance being so close – but just out of reach.

Laxus' grip on the banister got tighter. His knuckled were white now.

There was so many things happening that he didn't know. His relationship, his position, it was all in flux. He felt as though he was both on fire and freezing at once, overloading again. He couldn't look at the fight to distract himself, partly because Freed was there, and he was no longer safe to think about. And partly because it was too loud. Too bright. Just too fucking much.

Shivers ran over his skin, his ears roared with the chanting of the crowds and it was all just too much. He needed to leave; what people thought be damned. This was too much, he couldn't cope.

"Laxus!" The yell broke over everything, and Laxus snapped his head to Bickslow.

"What?" He intended to growl the word out, but it came out weak.

"I know you've got a fucking storm going on in your head, but you need to get through it," Evergreen spoke, looking serious, and Laxus opened his mouth to fight. "Laxus, you need to get down there and end this fight. Like, right now."

"What the fuck does the fight matter?"

"Freed has magic, Laxus," Bickslow hissed. "He always has. Its dark magic, he can't properly control it and right now it's seconds away from breaking down. If he keeps fighting, he might snap and end up using it."

No.

NO.

Laxus could not deal with something else. Freed did not have fucking magic! He did not have fucking dark magic. He couldn't. That kind of practice was outlawed. It would get him in trouble. And it wasn't possible. He would have told him; if Bickslow and Evergreen knew then why wouldn't he tell Laxus as well? It didn't make sense.

"Laxus look at him," Bickslow hissed again. "He can barely contain it already. Just look at him!"

The blonde looked towards his retainer, and his breath hitched slightly. It was just for a split second, but he saw wings spark from Freed's back. Purple, translucent and shimmering. Nobody seemed to react – maybe the dust covered it up from where everyone else was watching from – but it was undeniable.

Freed had magic. He had magic and hadn't told Laxus. He had magic that could get him fucking put back in the tower dungeons.

"For gods sake, stop gawking and stop it," Evergreen hissed. "Makarov knows already, he always did, so just fucking tell him what's happening. If you don't, people will see and want him punished."

That wasn't happening. This was too much already, losing Freed entirely would break it.

He stood up fast, storming past his retainers and to the door of the viewing platform. His mind was swirling, and again his body was taking over. He was walking fast, trying to get to his grandfather as quickly as he possibly could. All the people were focused on the fight though, so they weren't moving to let him through.

Eventually, he had to start pushing through the people. His head throbbed, there was shouting everywhere. It surrounded him and he couldn't focus on anything. Not the kiss, not the fact he was going to be king, not the fact Freed had magic. Not any of it.

But it was all there. It felt like everything was attacking him.

He could head his own pulse beating in his head, and every movement sent a shock through his body. He put his hands to his ears but that only made it worse. His eyes hazed again, now a mess of colours as he tried to force his way through the crowd.

This was too much.

His breathing was getting manic and his limbs were burning. Why was that happening? He shouldn't be exhausted, but he was. He felt as though he was drained, it was wrong. All of it was wrong. Why was it all wrong?

That thought festered in his mind as his limbs buckled under him, and his eyes fell closed.

* * *

When Laxus woke up again, he was in his bed. He was warm, sweating badly despite the fact he seemed to be stripped to his boxers, and his head was aching. He sat up slowly, letting the covers fall down him as he rested his back against the headrest; it was made of leather and mercifully cold on his burning skin.

He opened his eyes and scanned the room a moment later. It was his bedroom; the curtains were drawn shut, but a small amount of light flickered through them, so he knew it was day; and Freed was sitting at the table. Watching him.

Not in the dungeons at least.

That thought brought everything back, piling onto him. It didn't fill him with fear this time, more so with dread. A nausea filled his stomach and he was forced to swallow a bile that raised in his throat. Freed seemed to notice that and stood up and walked to him.

"What-" Laxus began; his throat hurt. "What happened?"

"We believe you had a panic attack," Freed said, his voice like velvet in Laxus' ears. "That, and a sensory overload led you to collapsing. That was about four hours ago, I'd hazard."

A panic attack. That made sense.

"I should mention that your grandfather wishes to speak to you as soon as he can. I was told to inform him when you woke up, but you'd probably prefer some time to wake up," Freed continued, and Laxus felt his stomach churn at the idea of talking to Makarov. Freed must have noticed. "He wishes to apologies, I think. For not warning you of his announcement."

Laxus nodded a little, taking a glass of water that Freed was handing him. He drunk it in its entirety, placing it on his bedside table. His mind was starting to slow down now, giving him real time to think. Calmly this time.

He needed to prioritise things.

"What happened after I fainted?" He asked, voice a little less croaky now.

"Well, someone as large as you collapsing on them is hard to ignore. The poor man realised who you were, managed to get Makarov's attention, as well as mine. The fight ended, you were taken here, a doctor checked you up and explained what happened, and I've been sitting here since."

"So," Laxus spoke up again, looking to Freed. "The fight stopped before…"

Laxus didn't know how to continue that, so Freed cut in.

"Nobody saw that I have magic," He assured Laxus, who looked at him with a frown. "Bickslow and Evergreen explained they told you. Hearing someone shouting about the prince collapsing made me lose interest in the fight quite quickly."

Okay, that was good. Freed hadn't been seen, they could now discuss the fact he had magic, and nobody was going to be slung into the dungeons. That was at least one thing that he could strike off his list of things driving him to madness.

"Why didn't you tell me?" He asked, and Freed sighed.

"Honestly, it's because I'm ashamed of it," The retainer was looking down, but speaking pragmatically. He always did. "Not only was I born with something that many people consider to be evil, but I haven't even gotten control of it. For the most part I can block it out and just act like it isn't there, but when my emotions become too enflamed then it seems to overthrow my good sense and I start casting without meaning to."

Laxus couldn't imagine Freed being ashamed of himself. He didn't like it.

"If I'm honest, I've used it a few times in front of you," Freed admitted. "When we fought for the first time, I was close. That's why Bickslow sent me away. A few times after that, as well. The worst day was when we were attacked on the road, after our night together."

Laxus watched Freed's face, and his gaze was lower down. There was a small darkness across his features and Laxus didn't want to look at it. There was a true look of shame and it was just so unfamiliar that it almost didn't look like Freed.

"What did you do?"

"When I killed the magician, I didn't just stab him. There was a lot going on – I'm sure you remember – and I lost sense of things. I essentially drained him. There's a spell that causes death and I used it on him," Freed sighed. "I should also admit I used a spell on you that day."

"You did?" Laxus asked. His voice didn't show if he was angry, confused or scared.

"Part of my magic is made up of runes, I have most control over them. I put a distraction rune around the carriage," Freed looked back to Laxus. "I didn't want you to watch me kill a man, so I forced you to be uninterested in it. I apologise for that."

It was odd, because now it had been explained it felt obvious.

He knew what Freed had been doing, and he probably should have watched. Morbid curiosity dictated that to happen. And yet, looking back, he just had ignored what happened. And, although his instinct was to be angry at Freed for messing with his head, he honestly couldn't be. Because even the thought of watching Freed kill someone – to drain them – was something horrible. The reality would have also been horrible, and Freed had sparred him that.

Looking up at the retainer, Laxus wanted to kiss him again. He shouldn't, that should be the last thing he wanted in this situation, but he did. Because, even when he lost control of his emotions, he had been thoughtful.

"You don't need to," Laxus spoke softly. "I don't – just don't worry about it. You're fine."

Was this twisted, perhaps. But so was everyone.

That was the next priority. Their kiss.

"Since we're talking, I have to ask," Laxus continued, and Freed nodded slightly. "I know I should be thinking about other things, probably, but what happened earlier. The fact that we kissed. Is that… what was that?"

"I. Well. From since we started to get to know one another, I've grown to admire you. You're a good man and I have a lot of respect for you. As time elapsed, I realised that what I felt wasn't simply respect, it was more akin to something… some sort of attraction."

So this was what Freed was like when he was rambling. Interesting.

But, if he was being honest, Laxus was done with talking. There had been too much talking, too much thinking. Besides, Freed had said all he needed to say.

So he cut the man off by kissing him.

Freed was shocked for a moment, it seemed. But as Laxus slowly started to move his lips, Freed joined in. Laxus pushed forward so they were closer, and Freed did the same. Laxus could feel a cold hand resting on his bare chest and smiled a little at the contact. He tilted his head, slightly butting his chin forward to add a little more into the kiss. Freed retorted by doing the same thing, and Laxus felt a small amount of stress leaving him.

For a moment, he could tell everything else to fuck off.

The fact he could be king. The fact his life was in limbo. The pointless embarrassment of people seeing him faint. The fear that Freed and him couldn't be together. It was all nothing.

Placing a hand on the nape of Freed's neck and pulled him a little closer, and smiled when Freed's mouth split open slightly. Laxus did the same, and their tongues butted against each other. It was just as good as their kiss earlier in the day, better even. This felt warm and private and without repercussions. It felt safe.

Eventually it ended, with their foreheads still touching and faces inches away from each other. Laxus was smiling and Freed returned it, looking a little flushed.

"More of a man of action," Laxus grinned. "Sorry, you were saying something."

"It seems like you guessed what I was going to say," Freed chuckled. "And apparently you seem to have similar opinions on the matter."

"So in non-pretentious speak we're both hot for each other," Laxus grinned again.

"I suppose you could say that," Freed agreed with a small laugh.

"Thought so," Laxus leant up and pressed a chaste kiss onto Freed's lips. When he pulled back, he had a slightly serious look on his face. "So, if we both agree on that, I suppose we should talk about what that means."

"No," Freed said softly, and Laxus frowned. Freed moved his hand from Laxus' chest to his cheek, and it was so damn comforting. "You've got enough to deal with, on all accounts, and I don't think we should add to that when we done need to. So, until things calm down for you, I propose we take our relationship as it comes. From what I know, that's what most normal people do."

"Yeah, 'cause nothing says 'normal' like a prince who just had a panic attack and the retainer with secret magic," Laxus laughed, before looking softly into Freed's eyes. "You sure you're okay with that. Might take a while."

"I'm patient," Freed smiled, leaning forward and kissing Laxus again. "Although if you think we won't be kissing frequently, then I'm afraid you're in for a nasty surprise."

Laxus smirked and pressed his lips against Freed's. "Yeah, feels pretty damn nasty to me."

"Likewise," Freed taunted, and Laxus grinned.

They kissed again, and Laxus felt warmth filling him as it had each time they kissed. Laxus now had his arm wrapped around Freed's waist – he was still wearing the uniform that had some damn effect on Laxus – and was pulling him close. He was smiling through the kiss and felt Freed doing the same. It was great.

And, while embracing Freed, he felt comfort. He felt as though the growing list of problems and responsibilities and issued were something he could deal with. Freed could help him, perhaps. And with the things he couldn't, at least he would have a man to kiss at the end of a bad day.

He could do this.

He could be a good king. With Freed by his side at least.


	9. Chapter 9 - Training

**Hi all. I'm so sorry this took so long. I think i just needed some time away from the fic so I could write it well. I hope the wait was worth it. Also, the final chapter should be coming tomorrow. I've written, just need to edit it now. No warnings this chapter, just fluff.**

**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. ****Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**

* * *

**Chapter Nine – Training **

"Again!" Laxus yelled.

He stood with his arms crossed, looking across the baron grass plane with a serious expression painted across his features. Standing across from his was Freed, bare chested and sweating. He was resting his hands on his knees in a pseudo-crouching position, breathing in and out heavily as he glared daggers into the ground.

"Come on," Laxus continued. "This ain't gonna work if we stop now."

The two men were outside of a small cabin owned by the royal family, a vacation home of sorts. It was secluded, only known of by a few people in the kingdom, and was perfect for what Laxus had planned.

Freed was learning to control his magic. After leaning his retainer had magical abilities over a week ago, it had been plaguing the prince's mind almost constantly. The most obtrusive thought was that Freed was ashamed of his magic. The very same Freed who exuded confidence in himself and unrelenting pride, was ashamed of something. Something that he couldn't help, no less, and something that was as much a part of him as anything else. It didn't sit right with Laxus.

So he had approached the man and explained as bluntly as he could that thinking of his magic in that way was fucking ridiculous. Just because people thought his magic was evil, it didn't mean it was. What he did with the magic decided if it was evil or not.

Freed had then confessed he was also ashamed he couldn't control it. He could change that by learning.

After Freed had agreed that learning his magic was the best course of actions, the prince had spoken to his grandfather and requested a week in isolation. The old man had put up no objections, probably assuming that Laxus needed time to come to terms with what had happened in the festival. It was far from the truth; the fact he would soon be king was something Laxus had consciously pushed to the back of his mind. Helping Freed with his magic was acting as a pretty good distraction as well.

"I know," Freed panted, standing upright.

The retainer raised his arm into the air, closing his eyes. He began muttering under his breath, and although Laxus couldn't hear him, he knew what he was doing. His emotions and his magic were linked in some way, and Freed was trying to overwork his emotions so that his magic would more easily start to form.

From where he stood, Laxus could see wisps of black smoke starting to form around Freed's raised arm. The grass started to shiver as if a large wind rushed through it, crashing to the retainer as if propelled towards him.

The sight was incredibly impressive.

The smoke around Freed's arm started to get thicker and thicker, becoming more of an inky fog that surrounded him. Despite the distance, Laxus could see that the shadow was starting to climb inside of Freed, crawling up his arm in thick black lines resembling veins. Freed had confessed that the process was painful, and the pain he was in was clear with how tense his body was. Every muscle was flexed, his free hand was clenched beside him, and his face a scowl that was unmoving and straining.

Laxus was fucking proud of him.

As the fog got thicker, and the wind got stronger, Laxus could start to sense magic forming around him. He kept his eyes trained on Freed, both so he could get a better understanding of how the magic worked as well as being prepared to intervene if anything went wrong.

The fog began to pulse with purple lights, and Laxus could see the vague mutation of the man's hand from under it. It had been disturbing to watch originally, but after days of the same, Laxus had become almost desensitised to what happened to the retainer. The black veins grew larger and thicker, extending their reach to across Freed's torso and perhaps his whole body. The extended hand started to warp faster, and Freed's mouth split open with a roar.

A moment later the fog dissipated, and a claw had replaced Freed's hand.

It reached above Freed's elbow, scales melding into skin as the retainer tried to catch his breath. Laxus didn't say anything, didn't move in fear that he might distract Freed and therefore interrupt the spell he was casting.

But this was good. Although he was clearly exhausted, this was the most stable Freed had been while attempting to transform himself. The first few attempts had been unsuccessful. The next had flickered out before Freed could do anything useful with it. the most recent had stayed for longer, but reduced Freed's mobility with the arm. But as Freed flexed the unfamiliar limb, and stretched out his fingers, he seemed to be in full control of it.

This was as close as they had gotten this far. Laxus had to trust Freed knew what to do next.

The knight was still muttering under his breath, and Laxus didn't know if it was to keep his emotions high or to act as a distraction from the pain he was in. It was tempting to step in, but when he saw flickers of black energy forming between the claws, Laxus stood where he was. Freed needed to do this himself.

There was a moment of silence, the calm at the eye of a hurricane.

A moment later, an ear shattering scream left the retainers mouth. It sounded distorted, as if underwater and ripped apart, and Laxus could only watch as Freed lowered his hand from the air and pushed it out in front of him. The energy built around his claw manically and seemed to make Freed's arm shake uncontrollably.

Then, without warning, a pulsating stream of pure darkness shot out from his hand. It knocked the man back, shooting his arm to the left and taking the beam with it. The attack only lasted a few seconds, and Freed's shouts died a moment later. He collapsed onto his knees, panting again.

Laxus ran towards him, looking to the side where the beam of energy had been directed. It had hit the edge of a forest, and the power had been incredibly destructive. Many of the nearest trees had been destroyed outright, and others that were further back had large dents in them or had fallen over by the force of the attack. All that damage had come from a spell that had barely lasted five seconds. This further proved just how strong Freed was.

"You okay?" Laxus asked as he got closer, and Freed looked up.

"Fine," The man replied, breath haggard. "Exhausted, but the pain is dying quickly. Help me up."

Laxus offered the man a hand, which was quickly taken. Freed was unstable on his feet, and Laxus quickly wrapped him in his arms, unbothered by the sweat drenching the retainer now spreading to Laxus' own clothes. The entire training process has been draining on Freed, and Laxus had quickly realised what Freed needed when he was like this. Silence, no judgment, and comfort.

They stood in the plane, arms wrapped around one another, Laxus stroking Freed's hair.

It was something that had happened a few times over the last few days, and it had always made Laxus think. As Freed had suggested, they hadnt chosen to define what exactly their relationship was, and instead focused on how they felt in the moment. Acting out of impulse, they had veered more and more to romantic actions. Kisses had occurred, ranging from the chaste to the passionate. The way they addressed each other in private had changed, as if the status difference no longer existed. The first night of being away, they had made love to one another. It had been slow, sensual, and infinitely better than when they first acted out of carnal lust months prior.

All of it had been perfect.

As he stood with Freed in his arms, Laxus thought about their decision to not define what they were. At the time it made sense, and it had worked out for them both, but Laxus adored the feeling of being intimate with Freed. It filled him with a warmth he couldn't define. Like every aspect of his life was being supported and protected by an unwavering force.

He wanted to define it; he had decided. He didn't want Freed to just be his guard and protector, he also wanted the man to be his lover. No, his partner. He wanted to share his life with Freed, to love him and be loved back.

It was a want that Laxus hadnt experienced in his life before. But he didn't mind it.

"That was fuckin'…" Laxus couldn't think of a word. Amazing, incredible, powerful. They all seemed to fall short. "You are so fucking strong, you know that?"

"I can barely stand," Freed chuckled.

"Your body ain't used to it yet. But you'll get there, and you'll be unstoppable," Laxus assured him. "I think you've done enough for the day. Unless you'd rather keep going."

"No, if I do any more I'll tire myself out and tomorrow will be a waste," Freed said, still catching his breath.

"Fair," Laxus nodded. "You need to get the rest out of your system?"

Freed had confessed to Laxus that, when he used magic, is entered his system in an unusual way. Power seemed to fester inside of him after using any powerful spells, and Freed had compared it to being on an energy high when you're trying to fall asleep. The prince couldn't exactly understand what that would feel like but understood that Freed found it incredibly uncomfortable and that was all he needed to know.

The process of removing the residual magic was simple enough, so Freed stated. He needed to put the magic to use without gathering any more energy. His rune spells, which he had greater control over, were relatively easy to perform. After practicing a more intense spell, Freed would spend time making runes in quick succession until his magic ran dry.

"I think so," Freed pushed his head off Laxus' chest. "You can go back inside. It won't take long."

"You sure?" Laxus asked, somewhat concerned. "I don't mind."

"I'll be fine," Freed gave a small smile.

Taking the man's word for it, Laxus carefully unwrapped himself from Freed. He seemed to have recovered enough so that he could stand without swaying slightly, and that inspired confidence in Laxus. He pressed his lips into Freed's hair.

"If you need help, just call," He instructed, and Freed laughed lightly.

"You needn't be so protective of me, Laxus," He smiled. "But if I need you, I will call for you."

"You better," Laxus grinned. "See you in a little while, yeah."

"Of course, your highness," Freed said, smirking.

The bastard had found another way to call Laxus by his title. He now used it ironically, apparently, as they were obviously more than just a prince and his guard.

"Or maybe just die out here," Laxus retorted, smirking back at him. "I can replace you."

"If you can live that long without me," Freed bit back.

Laxus laughed, pressed his lips onto Freed's head a final time, and started to walk towards the house.

* * *

When he heard the door open, Laxus stood up straight. He flicked some of the water off his hands and stood back from the metal bathtub that he had just filled with steaming water. He left the washroom to see that Freed had entered the cabin, shirt resting over his shoulder, looking just as dishevelled as before; perhaps worse. Laxus smiled at him, unashamed at the lovelorn expression on his face.

"You okay?" He asked. "Took a little while longer than before?"

"I'm fine," Freed assured him. "The spell required more magic, meaning I had more resonating inside me. I just needed to spend more time getting rid of it."

"Okay," Laxus nodded. "I ran you a bath if you want it. You looked pretty beat up, thought it could help."

Freed smiled. "Thank you. That's very kind."

Laxus shrugged, standing to the side as Freed slowly walked towards the washroom. Beat up was an apt description, as it really did look as if the man had been through a vicious fight, minus any actual injuries. Despite this, Freed hadnt once complained about the rigorous schedule that Laxus had made for him, nor the incredible toll that his body had been through. It was fucking incredible; Laxus wasn't sure if he could deal with it as well as Freed was.

The blonde followed Freed into the washroom, entering as the other started to undress. There was no shyness between either man, and Freed removed the rest of his clothes without hesitation. Laxus walked to a cabinet and picked up a wicker basket of toiletries as Freed climbed into the steaming water.

He audibly exhaled, his tightened muscles relaxing in the intense heat. He sat back with his eyes closed, the water covering everything but his face, and Laxus felt his heart swell slightly.

Damn, he had fallen hard.

"It ain't too warm, is it. Or too cold," Laxus asked, placing the basket in Freed's reach. "I can fix it, if it is."

"It's perfect," Freed assured him. "Although, I must admit the idea of a prince doting on me is rather endearing. At the start of the year I wouldn't have believed you were capable of running your own bath."

"Really, with the high expectations you had of me?" Laxus laughed, and Freed smiled. Laxus continued. "Gramps wanted me to be as self-sufficient as possible. And what kind of man can't bathe himself?"

"At the moment, I fear that man is myself," Freed chuckled. "Though I expect that is more out of laziness than actual ability."

Without hesitance, Laxus reached for a wooden bowl and dipped it beneath the surface of the water. Freed watched this with a slight frown on his face, quirking an eyebrow at Laxus, who responded by jutting his chin towards Freed's head. The knight seemed to understand what this meant and pushed himself off the back of the bathtub. Still without saying anything, Laxus began to slowly poor the warm water over Freed's scalp, wetting his hair. Freed's hair was a point of vanity, and washing it was the least Laxus could do.

After a few turns of pouring water over Freed's hair, he reached for the product that Freed tended to use. He lathered it onto his hands before slowly starting to massage the man's hair. It was a nice feeling, and Freed seemed to relax into it.

"I've been thinking," Laxus began, speaking somewhat tentatively. "About us, actually."

"Hm," Freed prodded after a moment, eyes opening but posture unmoving. Laxus continued to massage his head.

"And well, I get that where we're at is good. Great even. And it's not like I wanna fuck it up or anything, because I really love what's happening between us," Laxus began, and immediately wished he had thought this through. "But I think maybe we should…"

"Talk about it?" Freed concluded, and Laxus nodded. "I'd like that."

"Okay, great," Laxus nodded, feeling a little confident now. "So, I guess being forward makes sense, I want more than just this. I wanna make it serious. I don't exactly know how we'd do that. Maybe we'd court each other, maybe we could just decide to be in a relationship. I don't know how this works, kind of new to me."

He shouldn't have said that. it probably isn't good to mention how inexperienced in a relationship you are when you're trying to start one with someone.

"Well, I must admit that the idea of you courting me is rather delightful sounding," Freed laughed, and Laxus smiled at the reaction. "But relationships haven't been a big part of my life either, so I can't exactly be the voice of experience."

That shocked Laxus. Freed was a handsome man and didn't have the same social restrictions he had.

"But even if I had, I don't think it would have been applicable. Considering who we both are, both to each other and to the greater public," Freed sounded contemplative. "But we both want to be in a relationship, correct?"

"Yeah," Laxus nodded, starting to lather the lengths of Freed's hair. "That's what I want."

"Well, we should date then," Freed said simply.

"You say that like it's easy," Laxus laughed a little. The confidence in Freed's voice had been assuring, though.

"No, it probably won't be easy. We'll probably have to keep it a secret for some time, which will be difficult," Freed said, and Laxus nodded a little. "But I can imagine we've both been faced with more difficult tasks in the past."

"True. I had to deal with you," Laxus laughed. "You sure you wanna do this. I'm not sure what the politics of dating a prince are, let along a guy dating a prince."

"Politics has yet to stop me so far," Freed shrugged. "Although, if we are to date, there is something I need you to do."

"Sure?" Laxus questioned.

"You need to come to terms with the fact you're going to be king," Freed turned his head, Laxus releasing his hair as the man looked at him with sincerity. "While I can't imagine what it feels like, I expect it is incredibly intimidating, but you need to think about it. And discuss it. Because if you don't, all of this is going to come back to you eventually, and it'll most likely happen on the day you become king. And I expect you'll have enough on your plate that day as it is."

Laxus sighed. Freed was right, of course. He had allowed himself to push all his insecurities to the back of his mind while helping Freed. It wasn't exactly the smartest thing to do, but every time he thought about his upcoming responsibilities, panic and dread ran through him.

"We don't need to talk about it now," Freed continued, "Or with me, if you don't want to. But the more you discuss it, the more you plan out what you're going to do and think about it now, the less stress you'll be under when it's actually happening."

Laxus was silent for a moment.

"I know," He eventually mumbled. "And Gramps said he's gonna help me however he can. So it's not like I'll be on my own or anything. It's just a fucking daunting thing to think about."

"I imagine so," Freed said, resting a hand on Laxus'. "But you will be brilliant."

Laxus didn't say anything, just rested his forehead against Freed's. They stayed like this for a moment, and the prince felt himself grow a little more confident in himself. If Freed thought he could be a good king, then perhaps he could. His retainer seemed to be a good judge of character if nothing else. Perhaps that was why he had brought it up, to give Laxus confidence in himself.

"You're a smart man, Freed Justine," Laxus commented with a fond smile.

"As are you, and the world will soon know it," Freed smiled, before grinning. "And I imagine you'll look damn sexy in a crown."

"Fucks sake," Laxus laughed. He was glad Freed had broken the ice, even if he did so ridiculously.

"In fairness to myself, I avoided any double entendres about inspecing your crown jewels. So I still have class."

"Sure you do," Laxus grinned playfully, tilting Freed's head up and kissing him again.

This was good. This was what he needed. He could do anything if he had this to fall back on.

Perhaps it was naive, but at that moment, he felt like everything might end up okay.


	10. Chapter 10 - Coronating

**Warnings: Mentions of blood, a relatively graphic murder, and mentions of child abuse. This is a bit of a dark one, but I hope it's satisfying.**

**As always, thank you so much for any comments and kudos you leave. They mean so much. Hope you enjoy and thanks for reading. ^.^**

* * *

**Chapter Ten – Coronating **

Standing at the foot of the cathedral, Laxus felt weird. He was filled with a contradictory mix of nervousness and confidence. Looking at the large wooden doors closed before him, the biggest sensation was pride. Pride in himself, who he had become, and who he was going to be.

A king.

It was the first day of the new year, and the day of his coronation. He was dressed in his most decedent clothing, a luxurious red robe resting against his shoulders. The suit he wore was emblazoned with golden trimmings, mixed with a black velvet lining. In that moment, he looked more regal than he ever had before. It was incredibly empowering in a way that Laxus couldn't put into words.

Standing nearly a foot beside him, was Freed. He too was dressed in his most lavish clothing; the same outfit he wore during his exhibition fight with Gildarts. Although the rush of the day meant he hadn't spent much time with Freed, Laxus knew he looked beautiful.

He always did look beautiful, actually.

Having Freed nearby did a lot to calm Laxus down. To have someone who was unequivocally on his side, ready to stand his corner, filled him with a sense of confidence nothing else could. To have that man not only be his guard and protector, but also his lover, meant the confidence gleamed increased tenfold. He even dared to smile a little; a year ago he wouldn't have dreamed he and Freed would have such a relationship. Funny how it turned out.

From the cathedral, Laxus could hear his grandfather's speech. He spoke of how honoured he was that he had served for them, and how he knew that Laxus would be an equally fair and strong king. Laxus had heard the speech before, and knew he was soon going to be introduced formally, and his nerves flared.

A hand pressed against his back, comforting and soft. It was Freed's, and Laxus pushed back against it. The action was small and the moment fleeting, but Laxus appreciated it.

"Please rise for your new king!"

Laxus readied himself, and Freed removed his hand. The large wooden doors were slowly opened, revealing Laxus to the congregation in the cathedral. People from all aspects of life had gathered, ranging from nobles to shopkeepers. The richest and the poorest. The people who Laxus would soon be serving as their king, all represented by the thousand people now standing and watching him. This was his moment, the beginning of his reign of king.

He began walking slowly down the aisle. The sound of his boots resonating against the marble echoed around the silent chamber, and Laxus kept his eyes trained forward. Everyone was watching him, perhaps assessing him. It was intimidating.

A moment later, as prepared, Freed began walking behind him. He too was being sworn in, as knight of the realm, and to hear his footsteps spurred Laxus on. Freed was there, so he could do this.

Even with that in mind, the walk seemed to last for an eternity.

When he reached the front of the cathedral, he stood before his grandfather. Makarov was sitting at his throne, crown resting beside him. He was also dressed in his finery and was wearing an expression that exuded pride. Laxus dropped to one knee before him, bowing his head and looking at the white marble before him. He took the moment of rest to calm his nerves and steady his breath, closing his eyes.

He heard a slight shifting to his left, and saw that Freed was now kneeling beside him. He glanced to his retainer, who sent him a split-second smile before keeping his eyes on the marble.

Although he couldn't see it, Laxus knew that his grandfather had stood up from the throne. He walked towards the two kneeling men and stood in front of Freed. His sword had been removed from his scabbard and Laxus, from the corner of his eye, could see the blade resting on Freed's right shoulder. It rested there a moment before Makarov started to talk again.

"Freed Justine," The king's voice resonated through the cathedral. "As knight of the realm, it will be your sworn vow to protect this land. You will fight to your last breath to keep this kingdom safe and will do so without hesitation nor fear. Do you swear to withhold this vow for as long as you live?"

"I swear," Freed promised without hesitation.

With a slow movement, the sword moved from his right shoulder to his left. Despite the expectations of the ritual, Laxus couldn't stop himself from looking towards his retainer and lover. He didn't seem even slightly nervous.

"As knight of the realm, you will be expected to put the life of your king before your own. You will vow to keep him safe and protected no matter what detriment comes to you. You serve him, and act as his guardian," Makarov continued, voice still loud enough for all to hear. "Do you swear to withhold this vow for as long as you live?"

"I swear," Freed promised again.

"Present your right hand," Makarov demanded.

Freed did as he was told, presenting his hand to the king. The blade of the sword was placed upon it, and with a slow movement Makarov cut the skin. It was deep enough to leave a scar, but Freed didn't so much as wince at the pain. A layer of blood covered the sword, of which Makarov raised into the air. He walked to a font made of glass, tall and thin with clear water filling it, and placed the blood-soaked sword inside of it. The blood washed off the weapon and merged with the water, giving it a thin red colouring.

Footsteps approached Freed, and his still raised hand was covered in a bandage. A small healing spell was chanted, and the bandage was removed, revealing a deep but clean scar. Freed lowered his hand, a small smile on his face.

"I now pronounce you Sir Freed Justine, knight of the realm and protector of the nation," Makarov declared.

Laxus couldn't imagine how that must have affected Freed. From being seen as a criminal in the castle's dungeon to being perhaps the most respected knight in the kingdom, it must have been euphoric to feel. If anyone deserved to feel that way, Laxus was damn sure that it was Freed.

There was silence for a moment. Laxus watched with a bowed head as Makarov removed the sword from the glass font and wiped it dry. He then approached the two men again, this time standing in front of Laxus. The blonde felt the weight of the heavy sword against his right shoulder, and his nerves flared up again. But he could do this, the crown was his damn birth right and this nervousness was nothing he couldn't deal with.

"Laxus Dreyar," Makarov began again. "As king of this land, you must vow to commit yourself fully to its fulfilment. You must be willing to sacrifice all aspects of yourself for the betterment of the people over whom you will rule. You must strive to bring greatness to all your subjects, to make sure they're safe in all aspects of their lives. Do you swear to keep this vow?"

"I swear," Laxus said, voice waving slightly.

The sword was moved from his right shoulder to his left.

"As king of this land, you must vow to show respect to this kingdom and its people. You must understand the issues faced by your subjects and treat them with care. You must also show ruthlessness and authority in times of strife and austerity. You must make decisions unthinkable for the greatness of this land, no matter the reflection it has on you and your character. Do you swear to keep this vow?"

"I swear," Laxus said again, voice strong now.

"Raise your right hand."

Laxus did so and felt the cool steel resting against the palm of his hand. A moment later the blade started to slice into him, creating an identical cut to the one Freed had been given. It was painful of course, but Laxus did his best not to react to it. He glanced at Freed again, who gave him a small smile to comfort him. It was enough to keep Laxus silent.

As he had with Freed, Makarov stood back from Laxus and walked to the glass and marble font. He placed the sword in the water again and allowed Laxus' blood to mix with Freed's. The water became redder, and Laxus felt himself smile. The combination of blood was meant to symbolise the souls of a knight and a king being bonded together.

With their relationship, it felt like more than that.

Someone walked towards Laxus and wrapped his hand in a thick bandage. They then chanted a quiet spell that sent tingles down Laxus' spine as the wound was sealed in a scar. When the bandage was removed, Makarov walked to the throne and picked up the crown.

"From one king to the next," Makarov stated, his voice cracking a little. "I present to you the crown of this land."

As rehearsed, Laxus looked up. The ornate golden crown was placed atop his head. It was a small sensation but thrilling. Makarov walked back to the throne and picked up a large wooden box. Laxus frowned a little, not knowing what this one. They had rehearsed this day multiple times, and this hadnt happened once.

"And as your grandfather, I present a gift to you," He said, opening the box. "A sword, imbued with the magic of our family."

From the wooden box, a weapon was shown. It was a long, silver sword with a jutting diagonal blade. In the centre of the blade was a thin lining of yellow gemstones. It was a beautiful weapon, one that Laxus had never seen before.

"With this sword, the element of lightning will be yours to control," Makarov stated.

Laxus raised both hands and allowed Makarov to place to weapon in them. Even as he touched it, he felt a slight ripple fizzle through him. His newly scarred right hand, which touched the hilt of the weapon, was momentarily overtaken by ripples of lightning. It should have been painful, or at least noticeable, but all Laxus could feel was comfort. As if he was naturally inclined to this weapon and the lightning it apparently contained.

Makarov stood back, a look of pride on his face.

"You may both rise."

As instructed, Freed and Laxus both rose to their feet.

"It is perhaps the greatest pleasure of my life to introduce your new king," Makarov continued, and his voice was wavering now. "King Laxus Dreyar."

He was the king.

As the two men turned to face the rest of the cathedral, everybody had knelt for them. It was surreal, to be the leader of these people; to have their respect in such a way. But, for reasons that Laxus couldn't fathom, he wasn't panicked by this. Maybe it was because he had his grandfather's help, maybe it was because he had Freed on his side, he didn't know. But he wasn't panicked, he wasn't scared. He was excited. Because he could do this.

And then there was darkness.

It was instant. All the light streaming from outside of the cathedral vanished within a second, as if the sun had disappeared. The many candles in the cathedral were the only source of light, and they flickered manically as if a wind was trying to extinguish them. Laxus looked around, trying to find a source of this, but found nothing. People were starting to panic.

"Dark magic," Freed said, and Laxus glanced to him. "I'm not sure what type. But there's a lot of it. I think it's an entrapment spell."

"Like your runes?"

"Similar. But rather than making a wall, it makes a haze," Freed removed his sword from his scabbard, and Laxus tightened his grip on the weapon he just received.

From the door where they had been standing, Bickslow and Evergreen ran towards the two men. Makarov also approached them from behind, looking as panicked as everyone felt. Laxus looked outside of the windows to see a thick black mist had started to form and thicken. It didn't seem to be getting into the building, however, which was good.

"How does it trap people?" Makarov asked, also looking at the fog.

"It depends on what the caster wanted. It can range from changing your direction, so you simply walk back on yourself, to ripping the flesh off anyone who goes inside it. I've no idea how bad this will be."

"Fuck," Laxus hissed. "Can it be broken?"

"Not in it's entirety, no," Freed frowned. "But magic can always be overwhelmed by other magic. If enough power hit a concentrated part of the fog, it should break through, enough to get people through it unharmed at least."

"Okay," Laxus nodded. He needed to take control. "Ever, get the doors open and blast the fog with everything you've got. Bix, get everyone you know who has even an ounce of magic in a group and have them join Ever. Gramps, you need to get everyone to calm down so nobody does anything stupid. Anyone who isn't a knight or working on the magic needs to be together, near the doors so they can get out if the fog clears."

They all nodded, going to their specific jobs. Evergreen was almost immediately blasting the fog with whatever Fairy Magic she had. Bickslow was rushing through the guards and royal staff he knew had magic, directing them to Evergreen, and Makarov had begun addressing the panicking crowds.

"I should help Evergreen," Freed stated, but Laxus put a hand on his shoulder before he could move.

"This ain't a coincidence, this is an attack. And if you're gonna attack a coronation, the obvious target would be me," Laxus explained quickly. "If they focus on me, they can't hurt anyone else. And if you're defending me, it'll take a lot longer to kill me. More time to get people out."

Freed nodded. "Of course."

As they readied themselves for attack, a loud clattering came from above. A moment later, the bricks making up the ceiling gave in, slamming to the floor and cracking the throne that they landed on. The debris barely missed the two men, and they spun around to see the cause of the destruction. When they looked up, they were met with a thin layer of fog streaming down, pooling in front of them.

The fog started to shift and change. It grew to a silhouette of a man, tall and broad shouldered. As the knight and king readied their weapons, the figure of shadows began to grow more details, magical energy pulsing around them. Then, a moment later, the shadow left and revealed its creator.

Ivan.

Laxus hadnt seen him since his exile. Since he walked into the man's laboratory that night. Since he saw him experimenting on the lacrima that was intended to be forced into his body. Since Makarov had mercifully ripped open the shackles Laxus had been bound by before his body was ripped apart for the damn crystal that Ivan claimed would make him powerful.

Of course it was him doing this. Of course the psychopath was so power hungry that he couldn't handle the fact that Laxus was becoming king and not him. Of course he was willing to break his exile to fuck over Laxus' life again.

"Aren't you a smart little boy," Ivan spoke, and Laxus felt rage fill him. "But so easy to predict. Your grandfather filled you with all his kindness bullshit, as expected. So of course you'd save your redundant fucking subjects over yourself."

Ivan took a step forward, and Laxus found himself frozen.

"The fog wasn't to trap them, son," He spat the word out. "It was to distract them and trap you."

"Why are you here, Ivan?" Laxus demanded, white knuckling his grip on the weapon.

"Because I refuse to let a weak child spawned from a slut take the position that is mine!" Ivan suddenly roared, darkness swirling around him. "You will not be king, son. That title was meant for me and me alone."

"So are you gonna kill me?" Laxus spat back. "I am so much fucking stronger than I used to be, so fucking try it."

"Are you now?" Ivan grinned, expression mad. "Or do you just have a new pet to look after you."

He turned to Freed, who had barely managed to stop himself from plunging his sword through the man's chest. The only thing that had stopped him was the fact Laxus had a sword of his own, and if he wanted his father dead then he would have done so himself or given the order for Freed to do it. But as Ivan looked at him with animalistic sadism, Freed felt more and more tempted to kill the man without the order.

Freed knew what Ivan had done to Laxus. The manipulations, the torture, the experiments done to him in the late hours of the night. The blonde still had nightmares from time to time, still struggled with the trauma of what he went through. What this bastard had done to him.

"Mr Justine, a pleasure to meet you at last."

Ivan took a step towards Freed. With a sudden lurch, he pushed his hand forward and wrapped it around Freed's neck. He lifted the man off the ground by his throat, shadows hazing around his hand as he did so. Laxus watched as Freed began to struggle for breath, grabbing for the hand wrapped around his neck.

"If I send a man to kill my son, that is my business and nobody else's!" Ivan roared again. "If you decide to stop him, then I am justified in seeking revenge."

Laxus acted without thinking. He raised the sword and tried to strike out at Ivan's arm. The smoke around it swarmed around the weapon, stopping it before it could make contact with the man. Ivan slowly looked towards Laxus with a maniacal smile plastered on his face. He maintained eye contact with him, tightening his grip around Freed's throat.

"I would kill him," Ivan said without emotion. "But I think it would be more fun to see him get swarmed, don't you?"

Ivan threw Freed to the side of the room like he weighed nothing. He clattered onto the floor, catching his breath. Laxus ran towards him, but a thick wall of smoke stopped him. He tried to push through it, but his movements slowed as if he were walking through water, until he eventually was forced to stop.

"Look up, dear child," Ivan demanded.

Laxus did, and through the hole in the ceiling came hundreds of small white specs. When they got closer Laxus could see they seemed to be paper figures of people. They spun around each other, merging into larger forms of the same paper figure. About twenty of the figures now stood in the cathedral. Laxus turned to Freed, who looked… terrified.

"Shikigami," Freed whispered, and Laxus' eyes widened.

Shikigami was a forbidden magic. It was one of the few forms of necromancy known to still work. It was one of the cruellest forms of necromancy as well; the person casting the spell needed to kill the person to bring them back. And even when they did, they weren't truly brought back. They were just puppets, projected on a paper doll with their bodies being used by the evil person who brought them back. And now Ivan was using it.

Using it on Freed.

Laxus tried to break free of the shadows, to use the sword in some way, but he couldn't move. His head was immobilised now, forcing him to watch as the paper dolls began to advance on Freed. He couldn't do anything.

The dolls were starting to flicker now, gaining the bodies of people Ivan had killed. Laxus saw the leading doll to be the same yellow haired madman who had attempted to kill him months prior; of course his father had been responsible for that. But Freed had been the one to kill him, so the only way that Ivan could be using his corpse would be if he brought him back to life, only to kill him again to add to his arsenal of zombies

It was sick. Twisted. Evil.

The madman's corpse raised an arm, and a stream of yellow and black energy shot from his hand. Freed barely managed to stand before he was hit by the attack, knocked into one of the cathedral's pews, his back cracking as it happened.

Advancing quicker now, the dolls got closer and closer to Freed. The knight managed to stand up again, holding his sword, and Laxus could hear Ivan tut. He made a gesture with his hand, and the dolls sped up further. Some stayed back, such as the madman's corpse, and started to cast spells. Some spells Freed managed to deflect with his sword, but others hit him and knocked him back further. He was clearly getting overwhelmed, and the attacks weren't stopping.

Laxus felt sick.

"You said you've gotten stronger, Laxus," Ivan taunted. "But you haven't. All you have is a new guard, and he's about to die. And then you'll die too."

Laxus couldn't speak. He couldn't even move his mouth.

He was forced to watch as another of the madman's attacks slammed into Freed's stomach, burning through some of his clothing and leaving burns on his stomach. Dread filled Laxus as he watched Freed struggle to get up.

The dolls were on him now, surrounding him. Shadows started to form around the mass of dolls, and Laxus felt sick. He knew what was happening; they were trying to turn Freed into one of them. They were going to make Freed a lifeless corpse that was at Ivan's control. Laxus couldn't do anything, and the shadow was so thick around him that nobody else in the cathedral could do anything. He was going to die, and Laxus couldn't do anything.

And then something in the darkness changed. It was no longer made of wispy shadows, but instead a thick viscous ink. A familiar looking darkness, one that gave Laxus a small amount of hope. Freed's magic had always looked like that.

An angered, mutated roar filled the room. It was Freed.

With an explosion of inky darkness, the dolls were thrown off the man and ripped apart. The blackness dissipated a moment later, revealing Freed. But he was different. Half of his body had been replaced by the demonic form, his entire face now grey and scaly with large purple horns coming from his head. The right of his chest was grey, with black feathers sprouting form him. His face was contorted in a snarl aimed at Ivan.

This was the most demonic he had ever been. If he could, Laxus would have smiled.

The dolls were quick to reform, and Laxus could see from the corner of his eye that Ivan was panicking a little; Freed's magic had been kept a secret even from him. And now he was backfooted, because he didn't know just how strong Freed could be.

Nobody knew. Freed was a juggernaut of magic energy with just his forearm replaced by his demonic self. With this much of himself demonic, he might very well be unstoppable.

But Laxus was still trapped.

He couldn't leave Freed to fight by himself; Ivan always had contingency plans and Laxus didn't want Freed to face that alone. But he couldn't move, he was stuck mid run with his hand gripping the sword. He thought through everything he knew about magic in hopes of a way of figuring how to get out. One such idea came when he heard the sound of Evergreen casting another spell on the fog around the cathedral.

Magic can always be overwhelmed by magic.

Ivan was a powerful magician, but he was doing this on his own, and his power wasn't limitless. Keeping Laxus in place must have been the least important of the spells he was using at that moment, and therefore the weakest. Logic dictated that it could be overwhelmed pretty easily with magic. And, as king, Laxus now had a sword imbued with magic.

He had never used magic, but knew it was focused around emotions. He needed to put his emotions into overdrive – just as Freed had when they were training – and then hopefully his sword would react.

So, everything he had been in denial about throughout his life, he let go.

How scared he had been of his father throughout his childhood. How much pain he had been in through all the experiments made upon him. How terrified he was of falling asleep when his father's presence was in the castle. How disgusted he was with himself as a child, when Ivan had convinced him that he was a weak boy with no hope of surviving. How hysterical he had been throughout his teenage years when he felt he needed to follow his father's instructions under fear of death. How relieved he had been when his father had been exiled.

How relieved he was when he saw Freed alive again.

That last through sent a roaring scream through Laxus' mouth, and Ivan turned to him instantly. Lightning crackled over the king's body, shooting down him into his arm and into the blade of the sword. An erratic stream of lightning shot out of the weapon, cutting through the shadows and releasing Laxus.

An exhilarating sensation of power coursed through Laxus' veins, as if he were alive for the first time. He looked to his father with a snarl on his face, who looked back at him with wide eyes. Laxus had the upper hand now.

Good. Ivan should be scared.

"You tried to kill me," Laxus said, voice calm. Deadly so.

He raised the sword to the air and shot off another beam of lightning. Ivan barely managed to protect himself by forming a shield of darkness which absorbed the attack. Laxus started to walk towards his father, who took a step back.

"You manipulated me and tortured me as a child," Laxus continued.

Another shot of lightning left the sword. Ivan protected himself again with a cloud of shadows. They were getting more desperate now.

"You tried to have my friends killed in front of me."

A third shot of lightning left the sword. Ivan tried to protect himself, but the crackling beam hit his shoulder and made him scream.

"You were my father, you were meant to make me feel safe. Meant to love me," Laxus growled.

Another shot of lightning hit Ivan in his chest, making him fall to the ground at the foot of the throne. Laxus ran towards him, leaning over him before he could get up.

"But you didn't. You hurt me, scared me, and made me feel weak," Laxus whispered. "But that's okay. Because I have people who do care for me. Who do love me. Who do make me feel safe."

Laxus placed the tip of the sword against Ivan's stomach.

"So there's no real fucking point to you, is there."

Before Ivan could speak, Laxus forced the sword deep inside of him. He took pleasure in feeling the mans insides burst around the metal, until he felt the gentle clink of his sword tapping the floor below Ivan, who was now fully impaled. Laxus leant forward, forcing eye contact with Ivan, who's face was a picture of fear.

He always had been a damn coward.

"Goodbye, father."

Lightning flooded the sword, frying the man from the inside out. He screamed out in pain as his life left him, smoke forming and raising from his body. Laxus watched as any light left in his eyes dies out, and his soul left his body for the final time. Suddenly Ivan slumped, body going limp around the sword.

He was dead.

Everything stopped at once. The smoky magic, the dolls, the darkness. It all went.

Laxus removed the sword from his father's corpse and tossed it to the ground. He breathed heavily, catching his breath as the lighting dancing across him died away. He placed his boot against his father's back, kicking it down the three steps that led up to the throne.

Freed ran towards him, and Laxus relaxed slightly when he saw him. The knight dropped his demon form, and the moment they were close enough to one another Laxus pressed his lips against Freed's. They kissed for a short moment before breaking apart, and Laxus cupped Freed's cheeks.

"Are you okay?" He whispered, voice tender and soft now. He placed their foreheads together.

"I'm fine," Freed panted. "Are you?"

"I'm okay. He didn't hit me," Laxus assured him.

"I meant," Freed's eyes shot to the corpse of Laxus' father. "Because it's okay to be affected by it. Even though you did what was right."

"I know," Laxus nodded. "He was evil, though. And I won't miss him. and perhaps I'll even come to terms with it one day."

"I love you, Laxus," Freed whispered. "Nearly didn't get to say it."

"I love you too," Laxus replied instantly. He pressed his lips against Freed's again.

Laxus felt his knees buckle under him, and Freed quickly guided him to the throne, where he sat.

It was a spectacle to see. The new king, sitting in his throne for the first time, his robes soaked with blood. His sword was slung to the side, covered in his father's blood, and his crown was hidden under debris somewhere. He looked exhausted, barely awake. But he was strong in that moment, perhaps stronger than he had ever been in his life.

Standing beside him was his guard, retainer and lover. His clothes were ripped, his body covered in newly gained wounds, and his eyes swelling with a demonic magic that many considered to be evil. He stood proud beside the throne, hand on his sword protectively as they both looked over the congregation, who looked back at them.

For a moment, there was silence.

"Long live the king!" Makarov declared. A moment later, a roar from the crowed followed him.

_Long live the king._

_**Fin.**_


End file.
